


Teacher's Pet

by EinfachNiemand, OathKeeper



Category: Starfighter (Comic)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fraternities & Sororities, Homosexuality, Language, M/M, Marijuana, Original Character(s), Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-26
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-01-02 17:46:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 90,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1059722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EinfachNiemand/pseuds/EinfachNiemand, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OathKeeper/pseuds/OathKeeper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In modern-day life at Sleipnir University, Abel is on the Dean's List, part of one of the best fraternities on campus, and the epitome of a perfect student. However, things begin to change when he is assigned to tutor a very special, albeit rebellious student named Cain, who belongs to his rival fraternity. Tensions grow, but so does their relationship, and in more than one way. (POV switch every other chapter) (Co-written by SimplyNobody on FF.net)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Abel

**Chapter 1**

**Abel**

 

It all started on a Tuesday.

To be honest, the Tuesday wasn’t even that special. It was the fall semester of my sophomore year, I had just aced my Astronomy quiz, studied for an astrophysics test, and was now eating lunch with my roommate, Ethos. As we ate, though, I checked my e-mail, and had a message from earlier that morning from the dean of my school to visit him after my classes were done. Just that. No other explanation.

“Weird.” I muttered, clicking the reply button.

“What’s weird?” asked Ethos as he nibbled on a french fry.

“Oh, the dean just wants me to come see him at four.”

“Did you get in trouble again?” he mocked, forcing me to smile slightly.

“Very funny.” I said, and quickly typed a reply to the dean: ‘I will be there, but what is it we need to meet for?’

“Could it be about the party we had last weekend?” Ethos exclaimed worriedly.

“There’s never been a problem before…” I responded, “Plus, the police didn’t even show up that time. And it was over at Delta Chi, so why would he want to see me about it?”

“Oh, you’re right…” he murmured, sipping his Pepsi thoughtfully.

Looking back down at my laptop screen, I noticed that the dean had already replied back to me: ‘Thank you, sorry for the short notice. I will explain when we meet.’

I gave a heavy sigh, and closed the laptop.

 

* * *

 

Despite Ethos’ paranoia, I wasn’t worried at all about being asked to go and meet with the dean. I had been there multiple times, all for respectable reasons, and I was even on the dean’s list of top students, so there was no doubt in my mind that this meeting was for some good news.

But, as I arrived outside his office door at precisely 4pm, just as he asked, and heard screams coming from within, I suddenly felt butterflies in my stomach. Was there something wrong with my transcript? Had I accidentally broken a rule? Did something happen between fraternities? My head suddenly felt light, so I sat down on the wooden bench right next to the door, waiting to be called in.

It wasn’t even a minute later that the door swung open, and a guy, definitely a student, stormed out. I let out a soft yelp of surprise, and he looked down at me.

“What the hell did you do wrong, Princess?” he mocked. It took me a moment to realize that ‘princess’ was his way of addressing me.

“Uh… I’m not…”

“Cain, don’t be rude,” scolded the dean as he joined us out in the hallway, “after all, Abel here is the one who’s going to be your peer mentor.” Angrily, Cain did a double take at me, and glared back at the dean.

“I told you, Bering, I don’t need any of this ‘mentoring’ bullshit!”

“Calm down, Cain,” Mr. Bering commanded. Crossing his arms, Cain kept quiet. “Now, listen here. Your parents left me in charge of helping you here, and that’s what I am trying to do.”

“I don’t need any goddamn mentoring though,” Cain grumbled.

“Perhaps not in the subjects you like, no, but in others…”

“Math is fucking stupid and I don’t even need it!”

“Yes, you do, Cain!” Bering scolded, “Every class you take here has a purpose. And you should do well in all your classes, even the ones you don’t particularly like. In addition, you need to work on your study habits.”

“I don’t need to fucking study--”

“Then why did you get a C on your Engineering 101 exam when you very well know you could have gotten an A?”

“Wait, you’re an Engineering major?” I asked. The two dark-haired men looked over at me, almost as if they had forgotten that I was there.

“Yeah, what of it?” barked Cain. The dean adjusted his tie.

“I’m sorry about that, Abel,” he apologized, “I neglected to inform you about what I needed you for.”

“Tutoring, right?” I replied, “At least, that’s what I got out of your… conversation.”

“Yes, you see, Cain here needs a tutor to help him, since he is failing half of his classes.”

“Zatknis' ad!” Cain shouted in a different language. Mr. Bering furrowed his eyebrows.

“Language, Cain.”

“Look, Princess,” Cain growled, turning towards me. “I don’t need any help from a nerd like you, okay? You’re probably one of Bering’s best or something, but believe me when I say that I’m not paying for any of your bullshit ‘tutoring’, okay?”

“Fine, I’ll do it for free,” I replied bluntly. Both Cain and the dean gave a look of surprise.

“Are you sure, Abel?” Mr. Bering asked, “I can certainly pay a small fee for you to help Cain, since you don’t even have a job or anything right now…”

“It’s fine, Dean Bering,” I replied, “You and I both know that I get free tuition anyways since my father’s a professor here, so tutoring for free is fine with me.”

“Listen, you little shit…” Cain threatened, “I don’t know who you think you are, but--”

“Cain,” interrupted Mr. Bering, “don’t be rude.” After a moment, Cain finally backed off, an expression of anger still on his face, and stormed off down the hallway in defeat.

“I’ll meet you in the library tomorrow at three!” I shouted towards him triumphantly.

I’m pretty sure he flipped me off.

 

* * *

 

“What did Sigmund Freud do?” I asked. Ethos, who was laying sprawled across a couch, let out a long groan and covered his face with a pillow.

“Was he the one who wrote ‘The Interpretation of Dreams?’” his voice was muffled by the stuffed fabric.

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “What was it about?”

“Uhh…” he pondered, staring up at the ceiling, “...was it… psychodynamics?”

“Close,” I replied, “psychoanalysis.”

“Oh yeah!” he exclaimed, perking up off the couch. “It was the first book published in the 20th century, right?”

“Right! Now what is psychoanalysis?” I asked, putting the flash cards down to look at him.

“It’s the study of dreams and the subconscious mind.”

“Correct!” I said triumphantly. “And that was the last one.” With a big grin, Ethos stretched on the couch and yawned.

“Finally!” he replied, “I thought we’d never get through all of those flashcards.”

“Well, considering you made 97 of them…” I muttered, earning a chuckle from Ethos.

“And thank you for helping me with every single one of them.”

“It’s no big deal,” I responded.

And really, it wasn’t a big deal. Ethos and I always studied together. Almost every night, we would get together in the lounge of our chapter house, help each other with whatever homework needed getting done, and afterwards we would reward ourselves with video games and, sometimes, pizza.

“Which reminds me,” he said, putting all his study materials back into his backpack, “what did the dean want to meet with you for?” I could almost feel a headache coming on at the memory of it.

“Ugh, well, it’s uhh…” I stuttered, “...it was very…interesting.”

“How so?” he asked, leaning in closer to hear.

Reluctantly, and with a tone of disgust, I told him about Cain, about his nasty attitude, and about how Dean Bering was putting me up to the task to try and tutor someone who obviously didn’t want to even be tutored in the first place. I imagined it would probably be like trying to give a kid nasty medicine; Cain would probably do everything in his power to make sure I didn’t help him.

“I mean, what if he even starts to resort to violence or something?” I wondered, my headache intensifying. Ethos giggled a little.

“I don’t think anybody could ever hurt you, Abel.”

“Well, when it comes to this guy, I’m just not so sure…” I muttered.

And it was true, I had no clue what was in store for me.

The next morning, it was surprisingly tougher than usual to get out of bed. I woke up groggily, my dreams being interrupted not only by my blaring alarm clock, but also by the sound of Ethos’ incredible snoring coming from the top bunk. The 7am light was peeking in through the blinds of our window, and I was pretty sure I could hear the frat across the street blaring some god-awful bagpipe music, as was per their normal Wednesday-morning routine. And, to top it all off, the first thing that came to my mind was the reminder that I would have to deal with Cain and his attitude again today.

I wished to all the gods in the universe that I could just crawl into a hole somewhere and die.

Mustering up all the strength I could, I slid out of bed, ate some cereal, got dressed, and left so I could be on time to my eight-o’clock class.

Throughout the rest of the day, though, as the time drew closer and closer to 3pm, I could feel my anxiety growing. There was no way at all of knowing how Cain would treat the situation. If anything, I assumed he would probably just not show up. It seemed like the most likely scenario, considering I had no way of contacting him if he decided not to meet with me. And in the end, it was the hope of him not coming that gave me enough courage to go to the library and wait.

 

* * *

 

Sure enough, when I got to the main study area, filled with tables and students typing madly away at their computers and others pouring over their notes, Cain was nowhere to be found. I had, however, arrived a few minutes early, so I picked my favorite table, set my things down, and opened my laptop to pass the time.

As I continued to type away at my computer, though, the minutes only kept passing; 3:05, 3:10, 3:15, 3:20. By then, I knew that my prediction had come true. I gave a heavy sigh, filled with a mixture of relief and disappointment, and began packing up my things.

However, just as I was about to close my computer, someone sat down across from me at the table. Looking up, I knew immediately it was Cain. He rested his combat boots up on the tabletop, and gave a mischievous smirk.

“You're late,” I said, glaring at him slightly. He snorted and put his hands behind his head, balancing his chair on the back two legs.

“You're lucky I came at all, Princess,” he said with a slight snarl. I stared at him.

“Don't call me 'Princess.'” He put his chair back on all fours and removed his feet from the table. Leaning close to me, he smirked, making eye contact. I could smell whatever cologne he might have been wearing (Or not wearing. He might have just smelled that way all the time.), along with a faint scent of cigarettes.

“I will call you whatever I want to... Goldilocks,” he retorted. We stared at each other before I shook my head slightly and mumbled obscenities under my breath. He sat back in his chair, slumping down and stretching his legs out under the table. I felt one of his boots graze the side of my calf and sat up straighter, tucking my feet under my chair. Shutting my computer, I looked at the expanse of table in front of him, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Where're your class materials?” I asked, noticing that he hadn't brought anything but himself to the table, and barely that.

“Didn't think they'd be important,” he said with a shrug.

I lifted a hand to my temple and massaged it slightly, closing my eyes. It had been no more than five minutes since he had sat down at the table and I was already feeling a migraine coming on. This was not going to be fun. Letting out a long sigh, I pushed myself away from the table and stood up.

“Don't even think about going anywhere,” I said, pointing at him. He raised his hands up in surrender and made an innocent face. Well, as close to innocent as he could get.

“Wouldn't dream of it, Sweetcheeks,” he said, grinning. I sighed again and strode over to the computer lab in the corner of the library.

Logging into my e-mail account, I clicked open a message from Dean Bering, thankful that he had sent me a couple of Cain's assignments. Opening the documents, I printed out two copies of each. The bastard better be grateful I have a ridiculous amount of printing credits, I thought to myself. Grabbing the warm papers off the printer, I walked back to the table. Sitting down, I slid one of the papers over to him and smiled sweetly.

“This is your Chemistry 167 lab report worksheet. We’re going to work on this first,” I said. He scowled at the paper on the table and didn’t make a move to touch, let alone read, it. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Would you like a pencil?” He glared at me.

“No. I’m going to write with my fucking blood. Yes, dumbass, I would like a pencil.”

I felt his eyes watching me as I leaned down to reach into my bookbag. Unzipping one of the pockets, I pulled out a mechanical pencil. Sitting back up in the chair, I rolled the pencil across the table to him. He stopped it and held it between his fingers. I watched as his eyes skimmed over the paper. I don’t believe that he actually read it, but remained silent as he started writing notes in the margins. As he was obviously engrossed in the worksheet, I opened my computer again and resumed working on my research paper for Astronomy.

Ten minutes later, he slammed the pencil down on the table and pushed the paper toward me before leaning back in his seat. I looked up from my computer and shut the lid half way. Pushing it aside, I picked up the lab report. I glanced over the notes he made and read through his analysis of the data he obtained. Having taken the same class the previous year, I knew what the correct answers should be, and everything he had written was spot on. Though his handwriting was sloppy and uneven, I read through the entire three pages. When I was done, I looked at him. He greeted me with a lopsided grin.

“I told you I didn’t need a fucking tutor,” he retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. I put the paper down and looked at him.

“It seems as though you’re just not going to your full potential,” I said. He shrugged.

“Frankly, I don’t give a rats ass about most of the classes.”

“Well, maybe you should start,” I replied bluntly.

“And if I don’t?” He retorted.

“Then you’ll just have to come see me more often, and I know for a fact that neither of us wants that.”

“Are you so sure about that, Princess?” he grinned, raising an eyebrow. I felt my cheeks heat up a little at the question, and quickly turned to look away.

“Just… just do the next worksheet,” I mumbled, sliding another piece of paper over to him.

 

* * *

 

Several days passed, and Saturday finally arrived. For me, the end of the week had been much anticipated, considering I had insisted on tutoring Cain all through Wednesday and Friday, all on top of juggling my own classes.

In reality, it wasn’t even the tutoring part that was exhausting for me, but rather the struggle with how to approach improving Cain’s grades. Sure, forcing him to do his worksheets right in front of me was effective, but things like that could only make a small dent in his overall class grades. There were labs he had to go to, nighttime exams he had to attend, online quizzes to take, and I would bet my virginity that he wasn’t doing any of them.

So, in other words, I had to give him an incentive to care.

“Well fuck me,” I muttered. Ethos gave me a confused look.

“What was that, Abel?” he questioned. I froze, realizing that I had accidentally said that out loud.

“Oh, nothing, never mind!” I exclaimed, waving my hands. He and I were supposed to be finishing our online math homework, but I had somehow gotten sidetracked and had only 2 problems finished. I gave a heavy sigh.

“Abel, what did you get for number thirteen?” Ethos asked me. I shook my head in defeat.

“I’m sorry, I’m not even past three yet,” I admitted, earning a chuckle from him.

“To be honest, I’m not surprised. You have been daydreaming a lot recently, and it’s hard to concentrate with all that loud music coming from Alpha Kappa anyways.”

Once I realized all the racket coming from next door, it then became nearly impossible for me to finish my homework. At first, I tried ignoring it, but nearly every other minute we could hear shouts and whoops coming from outside, then a constant shuddering under our feet from the heavy bass, and finally, when I heard something shatter, it became the last straw.

Shutting my laptop closed with a highly audible ‘click’, I got up and put on my hoodie and converse.

“Where are you going?” asked Ethos worriedly.

“Just next door to ask the Alpha Kappa guys if they can tone it down a little bit.”

“Do you think they will?”

“Probably not, but if I threaten to call the police to end their little get-together, then I’m sure they’d be reasonable,” I replied, and headed outside.

 

* * *

 

In just the thirty seconds that it took for me to get from Beta Omega to the front door of the Alpha Kappa house, I already knew that it was a huge party. I saw people from nearly every single one of the forty-something fraternities and sororities that belonged to the university there, and I was certain nearly every one of them was drunk off their ass. But what could you do? It was a Saturday night in Greek land.

After finally managing to weave my way through the multitude of unsteady bodies, I politely rang the doorbell, hoping someone would be able to hear me. But alas, after several long, awkward moments, I simply let myself in.

I wandered around, intending on confronting the first Alpha Kappa I fixed my eyes on, but with no luck. As I turned a corner into the kitchen, though, I was suddenly bumped into by a frat boy who reeked of alcohol. When I looked up to see who it was, though, I had to do a double take.

“Cain?” I asked, surprised. He grinned and leaned against the doorframe, an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

“Evening, Princess.”


	2. Cain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, another chapter! EinfachNiemand and I have been typing our butts off the past few days. As we were working on new chapters, though, the lovely HamletMachine reached her 200th page of Starfighter! She has come a long way, and we are looking forward to all that is to come in her beautiful comic.

**Chapter 2**

**Cain  
**

 

I crossed my legs and stretched my arms across the back of the couch. The sworn brothers of Alpha Kappa looked at me from the other couches as I retold my experience with the first round of hazing. Basically it was that guys who were pledging to AK had to draw names out of a hat. Whoever’s name we drew, we had to have sex with within two weeks, show proof, and retell the experience in detail.

“What did you do after you finally managed to get his pants off?” a guy from my chapter asked. I tilted my head back and chuckled a bit to myself at the memory.

“Well, the kid wasn’t wearing any boxers, which wasn’t surprising considering how fucking tight those pants were. So, I came head to head with his cock.” I sat up and  smirked at them. “I’ve had popsicles bigger than this kid’s dick.” I chuckled a bit as they burst into laughter. One of the brothers, Pathos, leaned forward a little.

“Wait, average popsicles, or the jumbo ones? Because I know you can take both at the same time if you wanted.” Encke gave him a look and raised his eyebrow.

“And how do you know this, Pathos?” he asked. Pathos’ eyes widened a little bit and I smacked myself on the forehead in secondhand embarrassment.

“I’ve seen him do it!” Now everyone was looking at him. He huffed and slumped back in the couch. “I give up. No one’s going to believe whatever I say anyways.” I shook my head and went back to telling my story.

“Normal sized popsicle, just so you can compare. So there I am, face to face with the popsicle dick and I’m trying my hardest not to laugh. After a bit, I calm down enough and take it all in at once -- because what the fuck else am I going to do with such a little dick? Not much. -- and the kid fucking screams! Like he wasn’t expecting me to be able to fucking do it, right? Anyways, after about a minute, he comes for the second time since we fucking started this whole ordeal. It was really fucking pathetic.” To my left, I hear a snort-turned-cough and Deimos, another brother, stood up to leave. I shook my head.

“By now, I’ve come to terms with the fact that there is no way this kid is going to get me off, so I’m trying to get myself as close as possible, so I can just get the whole thing over with. And he gives me this wide-eyed innocent fucking look and I’m like, ‘Exactly how big of a virgin are you?’ expecting him to have at least some experience. No. The fucker hadn’t even been kissed before I got ahold of him!

“Instantly, I’m thinking, ‘Shit. This isn’t going to take long…’ And it didn’t. By the time he actually mustered the courage to let me put it in, he lasted sixteen seconds. Exactly. I counted. I guess I must’ve looked somewhat disappointed, because he apologized. A lot. And let me tell you, if there’s nothing else the little shit has going for him, he gives a mean handy.” Finished with my story, I leaned back and sunk into the couch. After all the laughter died down, Encke and Pathos, along with several other brothers, left the room to set up for our party that night. Deimos, however, came back in and flopped on the empty chair to my right.

“Real funny with the popsicle thing,” he muttered quietly to me. He was born with damaged vocal chords, so he could only speak in a hushed whisper. I smirked.

“I thought that would give the guys a good laugh.” He merely nodded in response. Without another word, I got up from the couch to go help the rest of the brothers set up for the party.

 

* * *

 

Around 10pm, people started showing up. By 10:30, there was a pretty decent crowd. And by 11, everything was in full swing, including me.

I was in the kitchen with some brothers and a few girls from our sister sorority, and had just downed my ninth shot in the past hour. I was definitely feeling the effects, and things were starting to get pretty blurry, just the way I liked it. I was just about to do another shot when Pathos took the glass from me while patting me on the back.

“Whoa, hold it there, buddy!” he hollered above the booming music. “We can’t have you blacking out just yet! Don’t you wanna see who you can get in your bed tonight?” He gave a mischievous grin, and I smirked back at him.

“You know, you’re right, Pathos,” I replied, “You pretty much read my mind.” He laughed loudly.

“Well then, how about we make a game of it?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, raising my eyebrow in curiosity. He downed the shot before continuing.

“I’m gonna dare you. I dare you to fuck the next person who comes through that doorway--” he pointed to the doorway into the kitchen, “--and if you can’t by the end of the night...” he leaned in closer to me, lowering his voice, “...then you have to run through all of Greek land...naked.” I sniggered.

“Deal,” I bluntly responded. There was no way I would lose anyways. Fucking was like breathing to me, and I knew all the tricks to get someone in the sheets with me, regardless of how resilient they were.

Pulling out a cigarette, I strode confidently over to the doorway to catch the next person that walked through, but was suddenly bumped into by some idiot who wasn’t looking. I looked down, and there stood Abel, looking up at me with wide, dark eyes.

“Cain?” he asked in a shocked voice. I smirked at him.

“Evening, Princess,” I replied with a smirk. However, due to my half-intoxicated state, it took me a moment to realize what Abel’s presence meant. I glanced over to Pathos, who was leaning on the countertop. He grinned, and held up a glass of beer to me. Abel was my new target.

“ _Blyat_ ,” I swore.

“What was that?” Abel shouted. He probably didn’t hear me over the music.

“Oh, it was nothing, uhh…” I had no idea what to say. This was definitely not in my plan. How in the world was I going to get Mr. Honors Program into the sack with me? He’d probably never even kissed anyone before, much less fucked. Plus, I was ninety-nine percent sure he hated my guts, despite our tutoring sessions together. I mean, I really couldn’t blame him, considering it was partially my goal to make him hate me, but I almost cringed at the irony of it all. I had chosen to be an ass to him, and now I was trying to get _his_ ass.

“Why are you here, Cain?” Abel asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Because I’m in Alpha Kappa…?” I replied. Abel raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Well, that explains a lot of things…” he muttered. I didn’t know whether that was a compliment or not. “Well, either way…” he spoke, glancing over my shoulder at the countertop full of alcoholic beverages, “...I just came over to ask you guys to quiet it down.”

“What? That’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you might have actually come to party.”

“I'm not in the mood to party, Cain. I was actually just studying.”

“Doesn’t really surprise me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, crossing his arms at me. Oops. I think I offended him.

“You’re just too much of a goodie-two-shoes to party. Your idea of partying hard is studying until midnight instead of ten,” I said, mocking his stance. He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I’m not a goodie-two-shoes,” he replied, a hint of anger in his voice. I smirked.

“Prove it.” I dared, leaning towards him.

“I don’t have to prove myself to you.”

“Are you sure? There’s plenty of vodka over there calling your name.”

“I have to go study.”

“No you don’t.” I was about to go and grab a drink for him, but Pathos beat me to the punch.

“Here, Cain. I figured you might need this,” he said, winking at me. I grinned, took the screwdriver, and handed it to Abel.

“Merry Christmas, Princess.” He stared at me for a moment before snatching the glass from my hand and raising it to his lips. I couldn’t help myself from putting on a wide grin. I finally had a plan.

  

* * *

 

“Cain, everything’s spinning…” Abel muttered slowly as he slouched down into the couch. We had moved into the main common room, and I had managed to get him to gulp down four screwdrivers already. I figured he’d like them, since the alcohol was hard to taste. And my assumption was definitely correct.

“That means it’s working, Princess,” I said with a laugh. I had also allowed myself to have a few more drinks, and my world was spinning slightly too. I was seated right next to Abel on the couch, as several people were playing beer pong on the coffee table. I turned to look at Abel, who by now had discarded both his hoodie and his converse, and was obviously out of it based on the blank stare he was giving to the red solo cups placed on the table.

It was go time.

I set my drink down on the table next to the couch, and put my hand on Abel’s upper thigh to get his attention. Slowly, he turned to look up at me.

“W’sup?” he slurred. I leaned in closer, and gazed into his hazy eyes.

“I knew that behind all that Honor Roll crap, you could actually have fun.”

“See? I told you… I wasn’t a goody… two shoes,” he replied proudly. I smiled, and leaned in even closer, so that our noses were touching. Abel’s eyes widened a little, and I knew he finally noticed what I was doing. He didn’t back up, however. Instead, he stared directly into my eyes with anticipation.

“I think you should keep on proving that to me…” I almost-whispered.

In less than a second, my lips were on his. I could feel him tense up a little at the sudden contact, and I was pretty sure his eyes were still open, but I was intent on getting him in the mood. I ran my left hand up his torso to cup his cheek so he couldn’t pull away, and placed my right hand in the small of his back. Sure enough, as I continued to kiss him, he slowly fell into time with me and started kissing me back with newfound vigor.

“Mmmmhh…” he moaned into our kiss. I smirked a bit, and pulled away so he and I could both catch our breath. Abel was panting heavily, and I could feel from the bulge in his jeans that he was extremely turned on. Slowly, I slid my hand over the denim, and massaged the fabric right over where his boner was, earning another moan from him.

“Hey, you two! Get a room!” Shouted Pathos. I glanced over to the corner where he stood talking with his twin brother from Beta Omega, Logos, and grinned. I turned back to Abel, who was still slightly breathless.

“We should go upstairs…” I said. He merely nodded, his cheeks now a vivid shade of red.

Grabbing his hand, I helped him off the couch, and led him up the stairs to Pathos’ room. I didn’t live in the chapter house, so Pathos said if I ever needed to, I could use his room for things like this, since he had it all to himself (I would definitely have to thank him for it later).

When we got into the room, I shut the door behind us before turning and looking at a swaying Abel. He looked a little lost, but I pushed every doubt I had from my mind when he looked directly at me, his eyes cloudy. I stepped toward him and he flinched slightly, albeit delayed due to his drunken state. The closer I got to him, the closer his back got to the wall until finally, it stopped him. I stepped closer and looked down at him, smirking. He looked at with me for a split second before dropping his gaze slightly to stare at my mouth. Without hesitating, I put my hands on either side of his face and bent down, smashing our lips together again.

I felt him snake his arms around me before tangling them in the hair at the base of my neck and tugging slightly. _Fuck._ I trailed one of my hands down the side of his neck and across his torso, stopping when I could feel the hem of his shirt. I listened to his panting as I moved my mouth from his lips to his jawline. I slid my hand across the skin under his shirt  to rest on the small of his back as I sucked at the crook of his neck.

“ _Cain…_ ” he breathed into my ear. I felt him groan as I slid my other hand down and grabbed his ass. Giving it a squeeze, I pressed our groins together, earning yet another moan from him. I moved my mouth back to his lips and kissed him again as both of my hands slid under his shirt and up the soft skin of his back. Carefully, so as not to scare him or accidentally have him fall over in his delicate state, I lifted his thin t-shirt up and over his shoulders, leaving his upper body completely uncovered.

 _Damn… he’s actually pretty hot,_ I thought to myself. I almost wanted to bash my head on a wall for not realizing earlier how attractive he was, but I assumed that all of the nerdiness had probably clouded my vision. Now, though, I could see perfectly how beautiful he was. His skin was spotless, and the redness of his cheeks contrasted perfectly with how pale he was. I stared intently for a few moments before leaning back in to suck on his neck as he intertwined his fingers into my hair once more.

Slowly, I trailed my licks and kisses down from his collarbone, to his chest, and eventually down to his stomach, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. Grabbing his narrow hips, I lifted him up and threw him onto the bed next to us, and expertly pulled off my shirt and pants. With just my boxers on, I crawled onto the bed after him, and hovered over him as I started to unbutton his jeans.

“Cain… I…”Abel muttered as I fiddled with his zipper, “I’ve never... done this before.” I smirked.

“It’s okay princess, I’ll be sure to take real good care of y--” but before I could finish the sentence, I looked up to find Abel’s eyes closed, and his breathing relaxed. _Is he fucking sleeping?_ I thought to myself. To check and make sure, I poked his tummy a little, but his eyes didn’t open. Yep, he fucking zonked out. Awesome.

Groaning, I leaned back to sit at the edge of the bed. What was I gonna do now? I was definitely _not_ fucking a sleeping person, since that’s just rude. Not that his falling asleep right in the middle of it wasn’t rude either, but I couldn’t much blame him, since it was probably his first time getting drunk. I supposed that Pathos had won the bet this time.

With a heavy sigh of defeat, I pulled off Abel’s jeans for him (so he would be more comfortable), laid down beside him, and pulled the covers over both of us. Since I had already lost to Pathos, the least he could do was let us sleep here for the night.

The last thing I remember before passing out, though, was Abel cuddling right up next to me, sighing softly in his sleep.


	3. Abel

**Chapter 3**

**Abel**

 

I remember waking up at first to warmth, sunlight streaming in through the window blinds, and a raging headache. Giving a muffled groan, I snuggled further into my pillow, not wanting to face the sunlight nor the land of the waking.

After a few short moments, though, I realized it wasn’t a pillow. I could feel a faint heartbeat, and slight movement. Opening my eyes, I found Cain right next to me, his eyes closed and his breathing steady. With a gasp, I shot up into a sitting position.

“What the hell?!” I exclaimed. Groaning, Cain turned to the side a bit, before opening one of his eyes.

“The fuck’s wrong with you, Princess?” he complained as he, too, sat up. I could feel my heart pounding and my breathing becoming uneven as I noticed that he and I were both shirtless. Noticing what my mind was trying to process, Cain smirked. “What, trying to remember what happened last night?” he muttered. I felt a blush forming on my face.

Slowly, I pulled the sheets up to see how clothed I was on the bottom half of my body. Upon inspection, though, it was a relief to find that I at least still had my underwear on. My surprise now turning into anger, I quickly shifted my gaze back to glare at Cain.

“What exactly _did_ happen last night?” I interrogated. He gave a scoff.

“I don’t remember much, either, Goldilocks,” he said before throwing back the covers and standing up. I watched as he laced his fingers together and stretched his arms over his head. I blushed slightly, realizing I was staring at his back muscles. I quickly turned my head to look away as he walked across the room, stooping over to pick something off the floor. I turned back to look at him just in time to see him toss my t-shirt and jeans towards me.

“B-but…” I muttered, not bothering to put my clothes on yet. I stared at the shirt and jeans in my lap. _This can’t have actually happened,_ I thought. I looked back to Cain who was pulling his shirt over his head, ruffling his already tousled hair. _Oh god._ Was it really possible that I could’ve had sex with a guy who I had dreaded talking to not even five days ago? “...Did we, um…”

“Have sex?” Cain finished my sentence bluntly, causing me to tense up a little at the thought of it. “Maybe. It’s entirely possible,” he said, looking back at me. He raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to walk your happy little ass back to where you came from, or sit in bed all day?” He flopped back down beside me and rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin on his fists. Looking up at me with a grin and wide eyes, he continued, “I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you fantasized about me. I’m hot as hell.” I looked away with a grimace.

“Not very likely,” I replied.

“That’s not what you thought last night.” My eyes widened and I felt blood rise up to my cheeks. Hastily, I pulled my shirt over my head and stood up to pull my jeans on. I heard Cain snicker behind me as I fastened the button on my pants. I could feel him looking at me from where he laid on the bed.

“You’re quite the screamer, you know,” he said with a smooth tone. _No._ I thought, standing there motionless, staring blankly at the wall. “It was good, though. Means you were definitely enjoying it.” Quickly turning back to glare at Cain, I could feel my blood starting to boil.

“Say one more thing and I swear to God…” I threatened, causing Cain to whistle at me in response.

“Princess, don’t even. You’re not cut out for fist fights.” I glared at him.

“How would you know?” I snipped. He grinned and sat up on his knees before standing on the mattress. Walking to the edge of the bed, he hopped down and stepped towards me. Standing firm, I turned around and frowned up at him, partially because I was mad at him and partially because I was mad at the fact that he was taller than me.

“I don’t,” he growled. “I do know how to drive you absolutely crazy, though.”

“You drive me crazy by existing, you pretentious asshole.” He chuckled.

“Are you sure?” Cain muttered, bringing his hand up to tangle in the hair at the nape of my neck, “Are you sure it’s not for… other reasons?” With a jolt, I quickly slapped his hand away, earning another smirk from him. “Wow, you still have some fight,” he responded, sounding mildly impressed.

“Go to hell,” I snapped, glaring up at him.

“Probably already going there anyways,” he replied bluntly as he sifted through one of the pockets in his jeans. With a smile, he pulled out a cigarette, and proceeded to light it. I couldn’t help but stare at the little tube of tobacco angrily.

“You can’t smoke that in here.” He raised a single eyebrow, exhaling the fumes.

“You think I give a flying fuck what I’m ‘allowed’ or ‘not allowed’ to do?” he asked, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

“Obviously not,” I responded, clenching my fists. “It is blatantly clear that you couldn’t give half a shit for _any_ of the rules, actually. You just do whatever… and, apparently, _whomever_ , the hell you want! You don’t do your schoolwork; you talk back to not only your teachers, but also the dean himself; _and_ you smoke, which, by the way, is terrible for, not only yourself, but also those around you, in places where it’s not allowed!”

“Rules are for stuck up little Daddy’s boys like you who don’t have a mind of their own and just do whatever they are told. You’re too busy being a perfect little angel and getting pats on the head to have friends or do anything besides sit in your room and study so you can get your perfect grades and perfect scholarships. But you don’t even fucking need them because your daddy pays for everything, meaning you’ve probably never worked a day in your life. Not to mention, whenever someone hurts your poor little feelings, you probably just run crying to your daddy because he fixes all of your petty little problems!” I cringed at every sentence, and once he was finally finished, I glared up at him, my anger at it’s peak. After a moment of complete and utter silence, I finally spoke.

“ _Fuck you_.” After I had said that, we were both enveloped in a bubble of silence. We simply stared at each other; me, full of anger and disappointment; and Cain, whose smirk had suddenly disappeared after what I had just said, and was now staring blankly into my eyes. There was nothing.

That was, until Cain interrupted it by pulling me towards him and pressing our mouths together, _hard._ I tried pulling away, but he was so much stronger than me that he was able to keep our lips locked for what felt like ages. Finally, though, he let me go, and after taking a few seconds to catch my breath, I looked back up at him, and saw that goddamned smirk.

And I slapped him right across the face.

 

* * *

 

Upon returning to my room back in the Beta Omega house, I was immediately greeted by a worried and talkative Ethos.

“Abel, where have you been?” he asked as I walked in and tossed my hoodie onto my dresser. “Last night you said you’d be right back…”

“I know, I know,” I replied, giving a heavy sigh. Sluggishly, I made my way over to my own chair and nestled into it, suddenly feeling very tired. My headache was still present, so I grabbed a water bottle from the mini-fridge next to me and popped some advil into my mouth as Ethos continued on.

“What happened to you?” he questioned, sitting back down.

“It’s… a very long story,” I said after swallowing down the pills. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” After a moment of not saying anything, Ethos let out a gasp.

“Wait, did you go and party over at Alpha Kappa?!” he exclaimed. I covered my ears at the sudden noise.

“God, Ethos, don’t talk so loud.” He slouched back in his chair a little.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “But I thought you never partied. Was there a girl or something?” At the thought of this, my mind immediately went back to thinking of Cain. Feeling my frustration rising again, I stood up.

“Look, I said I don’t want to talk about it, Ethos,” I said firmly.

“Did something bad happen?” he inquired, worry still present in his voice. I clenched a fist.

“Ethos, shut the fuck up!” I shouted. With a small gasp, Ethos looked away, saying nothing. I instantly felt a pang of remorse. I walked back over to my dresser and opened the middle drawer, Sighing, I walked over to my closet, changed my shirt, and slipped my hoodie back on. “I’m going for a walk,” I muttered quietly. Ethos merely nodded in response.

I strode through the open door into the hallway, putting my headphones in my ears. I scrolled through the music on my iPod as I thudded down the stairs and through the lounge. Finally settling on a playlist, I rounded a corner and started walking. I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to do something to clear my head. I turned the volume up nearly all the way and headed towards central campus.

At first, I had no clue where to go. I meandered around, thinking, but also trying not to think at the same time. And the next thing I knew, I was out in the grassy knoll in the middle of campus, where people usually went to lay out in the sun or play frisbee with their friends.

Despite it being a Sunday, there were quite a few people out enjoying the nice weather. As I walked past, I saw two familiar faces sitting in the shade of one of the trees near the sidewalk. Taking out my earbuds, I made my way over towards them.

“Hey, Pathos, Logos,” I greeted, trying to sound as joyful as possible. The two brothers looked up at me, Pathos giving me a wide grin.

“Well, if it isn’t tutor-boy!” he exclaimed happily with a laugh. He offered me a seat on the grass next to him, and I quietly accepted. I sank down onto the ground next to him and rested my forearms on my knees.

“So I heard you bit Ethos’ head off,” Logos said, looking past his brother to me. I sighed.

“Yeah. I forgot to apologize for that…” I trailed off, regretting yelling at Ethos. He had always been so nice, and was just worried about me. In my defense, however, I had definitely made it clear that I didn’t want to talk earlier.

“He seems pretty worried about you, man,” Pathos retorted. I sighed. “He said you didn’t come home last night.”

“I don’t know what happened last night after Cain gave me the first couple drinks,” I confessed. “Do either of you have any idea what happened to me?” Pathos chuckled a little at the question.

“Well, you were making out heatedly with pretty boy on the couch--”

“--before you went upstairs with him. We didn’t see you for the rest of the night,” Logos finished. The two of them had a knack for finishing the others’ sentences. Groaning, I rubbed my face with my hands. I tangled my fingers in my hair and leaned back in the grass.

“ _Fuck,_ ” I whispered to myself. I heard the twins gasp.

“Uh oh. Must be really bad.”

“You never curse, Abel. What the hell happened?” I groaned louder and sat up.

“If I tell you, you have to swear on each others’ lives that you will _not_ tell anyone.” They both nodded and drew an invisible ‘X’ over their hearts. I took a deep breath and told them what I knew: I had a few drinks with Cain and woke up next to him almost naked. I told them everything except for the small detail of him kissing me when we were sober, as I myself wanted to wipe that from my head.

“Holy shit.,” Pathos said, the shocked expression on his face slowly turning into a smirk. Logos grinned at me.

“Ever since I first saw that kid, I’ve wondered what he was like in bed. Mmf,” he said. Pathos gave him a hard smack on the arm. I glared at him and stood up.

“I’m going to finish my walk, guys. Remember: do not tell a soul.” They both gave me a mock salute before I turned and walked towards the other end of campus.

I shoved the headphones back in my ears and pressed play again. As the sound flooded into my head, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. _This can’t be happening._ I thought to myself. Not only had I woken up in the same bed, but I had been seen kissing him, “heatedly” as Pathos had said, beforehand. Word of this can’t get around too far, or I’ll have some killer consequences to pay. I sighed heavily as I realized that the half of the student body had probably heard the rumors.

            Angrily, I kicked a rock off the sidewalk and into the grass as I walked alongside a building. When I got to the corner, I turned, but suddenly was knocked backwards and pushed down to the concrete. I groaned, laying there for a moment. I stood back up, catching the breath that had been knocked out of me, and rubbed the back of my head as I looked around for the other victim of the collision.

            “Fuck, Princess, you scuffed my board!” yelled Cain as he, too, got up from the ground.

            _God damn it._

 

* * *

 

**Cain**

 

I stood up, brushing the dirt off of my jeans. Stomping over to the grass, I snatched up my longboard and turned back to Abel, who was now glaring at me with the intensity of a thousand suns.

            “Does it look like I fucking care about your longboard, Cain?” he snapped before throwing his hood over his head and storming off down the sidewalk. Dumbfounded, I watched him walk away. To be honest, I was disappointed that he left so quickly, but _damn,_ it was nice to watch him go.


	4. Cain

**Chapter Four**

**Cain**

 

After the very brief yet tense encounter with Abel, I opted to walk back to my dorm rather than board. I needed the time to think, plus it was a nice day, as far as days usually go. With a heavy sigh, I picked my board up from the ground, and began to make my way down the various sidewalks that zig-zagged through campus.

My mind wandered as my feet dragged across the cement. I thought about how much Abel was beginning to surprise me. At first, I had thought that he was just like any other honor-roll kid, sheltered and socially inept. And though I probably was half-right, there was also something about him that was completely the opposite. He had a fire inside him.

And I liked it.

A little voice in the back of my mind told me that I shouldn’t play with the flame, and that I would end up getting burnt, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t been burned before. Plus, Abel was different. Smiling to myself, I realized that the curiosity was too much, and despite what small amount of judgment I had, I wanted to see just how brightly that fire within him could burn.

 

* * *

 

Upon returning to my dorm room, though, my thoughts were immediately halted when I opened the door to find a light-haired stranger inside. I tensed up a bit, thinking at first that it was Abel, but quickly realized by the tousled hair and rounded nose that it wasn’t.

“Oh, Cain, you’re back kind of late.” commented Praxis, my roommate. I turned to face him. He was leaning back in his desk chair, while the light-haired boy was sitting on our futon, playing videogames.

“Who the fuck is this?” I asked, gesturing to the stranger. Praxis frowned before responding.

“This is Ethos, he’s a sophomore.” The so-called Ethos gave me a wide smile and waved. I scrunched my eyebrows, gave a half-hearted wave back, and walked over to the closet. As I quietly slid off my leather jacket, the two of them continued talking to each other.

“Anyways,” Ethos muttered, “after I tried asking him what was wrong, he said he didn’t want to talk about it, and told me to ‘shut the fuck up’!”

“Damn, that’s harsh…” replied Praxis. Ethos sighed.

“Yeah, I’ve never known Abel to curse like that. Not to me, anyways.” I froze. Abel? Why the hell were they talking about Abel? I walked out of the closet toward my desk, stepping over Ethos’ legs on the way. He pulled them back and sat cross-legged on the futon. “Sorry,” he said quietly before turning back to Praxis.

“How do you know Abel?” I asked, flopping in the chair and propping my feet up on the desk. Ethos looked at me, a slightly frightened and confused look on his face.

“You know him?” I smirked.

“You could say that.”

“Did you happen to be at that party last night?” he questioned.

“I might have, why do you ask?”

“Well…” he began, setting the videogame controller down next to him, “he went over there just to ask them to be quiet, but then he didn’t come back until the next morning, and he seemed really…  I don’t know, off? I’m just worried for him.”

“So you’re his roommate, I assume?” He nodded yes, looking up at me with big, gray eyes. I sighed, realizing that Abel had the privilege of rooming with an adorable little shit like this kid. “Look, I’m not sure if he would want me telling you what happened at the party, but what I can tell you is that it was probably my fault.”

“The fuck did you do now, Cain?” Praxis interjected.

“Fuck off, Praxis,” I replied as I flipped him the bird before continuing on. “Anyways, I have been trying to talk to him about it too, but he seems adamant on not being within fifty feet of me, so it’s kinda slow going.” Ethos looked down at his lap.

“Yeah, I haven’t heard from him since he went on his walk.”

“Did you try texting him?” Praxis asked.

“Well, actually, I hadn’t thought of that…” muttered Ethos, fishing his phone out of his pants pocket.

“Wait, you have his number?” I asked, leaning forward a bit in my chair.

“Obviously. They’re roommates, idiot.” insulted Praxis. I growled and told him to shut it before turning to face Ethos again. He nodded in response to my question.

“Could you maybe give me his number then?” I asked as nicely as I could. “You see, he is kinda also tutoring me, so in case I need to get ahold of him…” Ethos raised his eyebrows at me in surprise.

“Oh, _you’re_ Cain!” he chirped, sitting up straight. “Abel mentioned he was tutoring someone by that name. I didn’t expect you to be Praxis’ roommate! Small world, huh?” he said with a laugh.

“He told you about me?” I asked, taken aback. Praxis chuckled.

“They were probably talking shit about you, no surprise there.” I looked daggers at him.

“What is this, Praxis, like the third time I have had to tell you to _shut the fuck up?_ ” Praxis merely raised his hands in surrender. I sighed and returned to speaking to Ethos.

“Anyways, yeah. I’m his… tutoree?”

“Tutee.” corrected Ethos.

“That sounds dumb, but okay.” Ethos gave a light laugh.

“Here, let me give you his number…” he muttered, scrolling through his contact list. Pulling out my phone as well, I couldn’t help but smile a little. Ethos was almost as cute as Abel, and I hated to hide parts of the truth from him, but Abel was already upset at me enough as it was.

In the back of my mind, though, I still knew about my bet with Pathos. Next time I saw him, there was no doubt he would definitely confront me about whether or not Abel and I actually fucked. But there was definitely no way in hell I was running through Greek land naked. At least, not that it was starting to get cold outside, if you catch my drift.

And because of that reason, I was thankful for my quick thinking earlier when I told Abel that we had actually done it. It was just my luck that he was too drunk to remember, and if he was convinced into thinking we did, then it would be a piece of cake to dupe Pathos and anyone else who asked.

But all of that talk of me and Abel having sex… it made me wonder if I really could get him into the sack with me. It was definitely gonna take some skill and tact to make it happen, but I couldn’t really admit that I didn’t like a good challenge.

After Ethos gave me Abel’s number and I punched it into my phone, I smirked. Playing with the flame was definitely going to be fun.

 

* * *

 

I was debating whether or not to wait a day to call Abel, since he had seemed so pissed off earlier that morning, but as the sun went down, and the air outside had begun to cool off, I realized that we were supposed to be meeting tomorrow at the normal time, so I counted on my better judgment and pressed the green call button. I leaned against the wall in the stairwell where I had gone to get a small fraction of privacy. I stared at the cracks in the wall across from me while I listened to the dialing sound. After three rings, I heard a confused voice on the other end.

“Hello…?” I smirked.

“Hello, Abel,” I responded as I stepped down a couple steps and sat on the landing.

“How the hell did you get my number, Cain?” I snickered.

“I have my resources,” I said. He didn’t hang up, so I took that as a sign of progress. “Besides, you wouldn’t talk to me face to face, so this was the next best thing.”

“Yeah, well, last time we tried to _talk_ face to face you…” he paused, probably making sure no one was around him. “You shoved your fucking tongue down my throat. I’m not too keen on doing that again.”

“You liked it,” I purred, grinning to myself.

“What do you want, Cain?” he snipped.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked.

“If you don’t have a legitimate reason to be talking right now, I’m going to hang up.” he threatened.

“Now don’t be hasty!” I said, trying to keep him on the line. “I know calling you just for shits and giggles probably sounds like something I would do, but I seriously wanted to ask you something.” he was silent for a moment before replying.

“...What?” he asked.

“Does this mean our tutoring sessions are over?” I heard him snort.

“Not a chance,” he said just before the line went dead. Grinning, I stood up and took the stairs two at a time. When I got back to my room, I flopped in front of my desk and grabbed a book off the shelf behind me. After fishing a pencil out of my bag, I flipped through the pages of the book. A few minutes later, the door opened. I looked up to see Praxis giving me an astonished look.

“Holy shit, you know how to do homework?” I glared at him.

“For the sixth time today, fuck off, asshole.”

 

* * *

        

Getting out of bed was hell. Tuesday nights are always hell in general. The only thing that could be considered worse are the Wednesday nights that come after the craziness of Tuesdays. I looked at the clock next to my head. Realizing I had already slept through two of my four classes today, I decided now would be a good time to actually get out of bed. Achy and groaning, I flung the covers off of me and swung my feet over to sit upright. After a long stretch, I got up, got my shower caddy and towel, and headed off down the hallway to shower.

Since nearly everyone was already in classes, there was no one to be found in the bathroom. _Good,_ I thought. I didn’t like people much anyways. Not in the mornings, at least.

Using the emptiness of the bathroom to my advantage, I stripped down in the openness of the shower room, not bothering to hide anything. And after placing my boxers and towel on a hook, I stepped into the stall, turning the water up to hot.

As I shampooed my hair, though, my thoughts drifted off to Abel. After I had called him, things had gotten better between us. Monday’s tutoring session had been average, which was actually an improvement. Sure, there was still an underlying rivalry, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. He was fiery, and that fire in competition with my stubbornness would always cause a clash, no matter what. But I found amusement in teasing him. He even looked pretty sexy when he was upset.

After conditioning and rinsing my hair, I turned the shower head off, and proceeded to get ready for the day. With luck, maybe I would actually not be late to my 10:00 class.

 

* * *

 

At 3:05, after  I trudged into the library, still tired. The hot shower had helped, but not much. My muscles still hurt, and my feet were killing me. I flopped into the chair in front of Abel and put my head on the table. Covering it with my arms, I sighed.

“Someone’s tired,” Abel said. I could almost hear the grin he was wearing. Without moving, I groaned loudly.

“Work was hell,” I responded, voice muffled by my arms. I sat up and rubbed my face with my hands, trying to wake myself up a little. Abel was watching me, an amused look on his face.

“Where do you work?” he asked.

“Studio Thirteen.” I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms. I smirked as his facial expression went from amused to shocked.

“Isn’t that a strip club?”

“Yup.”

“You don’t... actually _strip_ , right?” he asked. I leaned forward a little, lowering my voice.

“What would you do if I did?” Abel coughed a little, obviously unsure of how to reply.

“Well, I mean, I guess that’s fine… uh…” I chuckled.

“Don’t get too excited, Princess, I wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself by popping a boner in the middle of the library.” Abel’s face immediately turned beet-red at the comment.

“I-I wouldn’t do that…!” he sputtered, “Unlike you, I actually have some self-control!” I snickered.

“Yeah, and unlike me, you have probably never masturbated a day in your life.” Abel gasped before furrowing his eyebrows in frustration.

“We are not here to talk about masturbation, okay Cain?!” he shouted a little too loudly. Realizing that someone probably heard, I turned to look around at the other tables, and sure enough, Abel was getting some shocked glances from other students. “I… uh…” Abel muttered, obviously registering that others had heard. I couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

“Princess, you are a riot!” I said through my laughter. Abel hid his head behind a textbook in embarrassment.

“Stop laughing!” he pleaded. Wiping away my tears of laughter, I finally managed to calm myself down.

“Okay, okay,” I replied, “we can get to doing the tutoring thing now, if you want.” Peaking out from behind the book, Abel checked to make sure no one was staring at us anymore. Seeing that the moment had passed, he cleared his throat, and got down to looking over the list of things he had made for us to do. Glancing at me, he frowned.

“You didn’t bring anything with you… again,” he said with a sigh. I shrugged and looked at the list he had in front of him. I grabbed it and snatched the pencil he had in his hand. Reading the list, I crossed off all of the things he had down for today.“What are you…” he began.

“I already did them,” I said, handing him back the paper and pencil. He looked at me with wide eyes.

“You…. wait, what?” he asked, suddenly confused. I chuckled.

“I did my homework for once,” I retorted. Abel gasped slightly as a grin spread across his face.

“Cain! I’m amazed!” I waved a hand at him.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” He chuckled and shut his computer before shoving it in his backpack. I watched him as he stretched his arms above his head. My eyes shifted down when his shirt rode up to reveal his bellybutton and the soft, gorgeous skin of his abdomen. I smirked as Friday Night’s memories came back to me. What I wouldn’t do to run my hands across him again. I shook the thought from my head when he stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder.

“So…” he trailed off. I smiled.

“So?” I prompted. He blushed slightly.

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked. “I’m starving.” I was slightly taken aback by the request, but I nodded in agreement and stood up.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Let’s just go downstairs to the café,” he said with a smile, and started toward the stairs. I followed him, my eyes trailing down to look at his butt as he walked in front of me.  _Jesus, fuck. Get yourself together, Cain!_ I internally scolded myself, attempting to avert my gaze to somewhere more acceptable. I settled on just staring at the back of his head.

I sighed with relief when we finally reached the small coffee shop on the first floor of the library. It was dimly lit and cozy, with a good number of students sitting either in the booths or at the tables studying quietly. After we ordered, we sat down at one of the empty corner booths: me with my Americano with a double shot of espresso and sandwich; Abel with his turtle latté, sandwich, and a banana. We picked a small two-person table in a corner, next to one of the windows.

“So what possessed you to finish all those assignments?” Abel asked with a smile as he took a sip of his latté. I gave the most honest answer I could think of.

“I don’t really know.” I said with a laugh, resting my hands behind my head as I looked outside through the window panes. “I just felt like being productive for once.” Abel laughed softly.

“I suppose that works. I guess I just feel like that all the time.”

“That sounds like a horribly boring way to live.” I mocked, taking a bite out of my sandwich.

“Yes, but it helps to get things done.” Abel explained, “I hardly ever have to worry about procrastination or missing deadlines. My father…” he paused for a moment, looking down at the surface of the table, “...my father made sure I was a good student from a very early age. He wouldn’t settle for anything short of brilliant.”

“No offense, but he sounds pretty stuck-up to me.” I commented, earning another laugh from him.

“That may be true… and to be honest, it _was_ horribly boring. While other kids were out playing, or going to movies, or even going to our high school football games, I was stuck at home, either doing my homework, or, if I didn’t have any school work, practicing the piano.”

“You play the piano?” I asked, taken by surprise. He nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve been playing for fourteen years.” I whistled.

“Wow, that’s a long time. I play the electric bass myself, but I only started playing when I hit my rebellious teenage years.” Abel smirked.

“Cain, I think you’re still there.” he retorted. I couldn’t stop the huge grin that spread across my face. I laughed and shrugged.

“I’m not as rebellious as I used to be, trust me,” I said quietly. Abel looked at me in awe.

“What made you straighten things out?” he asked. I cringed at the memory and shook my head.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said. He nodded in understanding and wadded up the now empty wrapper of his sandwich. Setting it aside, he grabbed the banana. I watched as his fingers peeled the yellow skin of the fruit down.

“So what else are you interested in?” he asked. I snapped my eyes away from the banana peel that was grazing his knuckles, and instead watched as he slowly lifted the fruit up to his mouth. _Shit shit shit shit…_ I couldn’t help but think dirty thoughts. I quickly shifted my gaze back to looking out the window.

“What do you mean?” I asked. He shrugged.

“Are you involved in anything besides Alpha Kappa? Have you been sworn in, or are you still pledging?” he asked.

“Still pledging,” I replied, trying to hide my nervousness. “I still have lots of hazing to endure.” he gave a laugh at this.

“I know how that is.” he replied. “Except I have a feeling that Alpha Kappa’s challenges are a bit more… drastic. Compared to Beta Omega’s, I mean.” He lifted the banana back up to his mouth. He almost took a bite when I responded.

“Probably. What did you have to do?” I had to keep the conversation going. I could not watch as he ate that goddamned banana. How could I possibly get turned on by this kid eating a fucking piece of fruit? There was seriously something wrong with me.

“I remember they gave all the pledges a yard stick that they had to get girls to sign. If you got it covered with names of girls and their phone numbers, then you got to sit out the next round.” Without warning, he took another bite of the banana. _Jesus, could he eat that thing any slower?_ I thought to myself as I tried averting my gaze. It was like he was almost trying to eat the thing seductively. I tried continuing the conversation.

“Anything else they made you do? Anything remotely close to what you think AK would do?” Abel chuckled.

“Well, there was a time when the pledges had to set up a lemonade stand in the middle of central campus.”

“What’s so bad about that?” I asked, quickly turning away again before he took another bite of the banana. I sipped my drink as he responded.

“Well, we had to wear sundresses.” I almost spat out my drink. He laughed at me. Grabbing a napkin from the basket on the table, I wiped my mouth. Shaking his head, he continued, “It gets worse! In order to get a glass of lemonade, you had to spank the most attractive one of us with Beta Omega’s House Paddle. Whoever got the most spankings won.” _Shit._ I couldn’t handle this kid eating a banana, and now he just planted the mental image of him getting spanked in my head. _Fuck me…_ I crossed my legs under the table, bumping his with my foot. To my surprise, he didn’t jerk away. Instead, he stretched out further so that our calves were in constant contact. _God dammit._ He gave me a small smirk. _This fucking kid._

“Proud to say I won that round,” he said, cockiness dripping from every word. _Damn fucking right you did._ “What have you had to do so far?”

“Well,” I started. He slowly brought the fruit of torture up to his lips again and stared me dead in the eyes as he took a bite. I growled, forgetting about the hazing story. “You’re doing this on purpose.” He finally gulped down the last part of banana and gave me an innocent shrug.

“Doing what on purpose?” he asked.

“Eating that fucking banana that fucking slowly.”

“What do you mean? It’s just a banana,” he said, fighting a smirk. I sat up straight, pointing at him.

“I see that fucking smirk, you little shit!” without warning, he burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but follow suit. When we both calmed down, we sat in silence for a while. I finished my coffee and was spinning the cup around like a top absentmindedly while watching Abel. He was reading something on his phone and biting his lip.

“Don’t do that,” I said, smoothly. He looked up at me, releasing his bottom lip from the grasp of his teeth.

“Do what?” he asked, clueless.

“Don’t bite your lip. Well, not unless you want me to ravish you,” I said in a low growl. His eyes widened slightly, and his cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

“Is that… some kind of kink you have or something?” he asked quietly.

“If that means I find it undeniably sexy, yes.” He lowered his eyes back to his phone. After a few moments of silence, his teeth grabbed hold of his lower lip again. I gave a low growl of frustration. In an attempt to ignore him, I glanced at the clock.

“Well shit,” I said with a sigh after realizing what time it was. Abel looked up at me, setting his phone down.

“What?” he asked, a slight look of concern on his face.

“My Engineering lab is half over. Oh well,” I answered. He shook his head at me.

“You shouldn’t skip class. It’s not a good habit,” he said. I shrugged.

“Doesn’t really matter, really. We rarely do anything, anyways,” I said. He shook his head again and looked back at his phone. A few seconds later, I heard it vibrate.

“Crap. I have to go to my study group,” he said. He stood up and grabbed the trash off the table. I watched as he strode over to the trash can and dumped our wrappers into it. Coming back to the table, he swung his bag over his shoulder. I stood up and walked with him to the nearby doors. When we got outside, the sky was a bright mix of oranges, reds, and purples. We walked to the end of the sidewalk and stopped for a moment.

“I have to go this way,” Abel said, gesturing in the opposite direction. I nodded in understanding.

“Okay, I need to go and meet up with some of the guys from AK anyways.” I replied. He smiled up at me.

“I’ll see you later, Cain,” he said before turning to walk toward the academic buildings.

Just as he turned to leave, though, something in my mind told me I didn’t want him to go. I grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him toward me.

“Cain, what are you...” he began to say. Before he could finish the sentence, though, I silenced him by softly pressing our lips together. I could feel him tense up at the sudden contact, but after a moment he leaned into the kiss, lifting his one free hand up to caress my neck. For a half-second, I thought maybe he was toying with me again, and that he would try using that free hand to slap me, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he and I began to slowly move our mouths together. It wasn’t sloppy making out, but rather just kisses. Lots, and lots, and lots of passionate kisses.

Unfortunately, the moment ended much too soon when Abel pulled away for air, the all-too-familiar blush present on his cheeks. For another few seconds, he simply stared up at me, trying to catch his breath.

“I… um…” he muttered, causing me to smile down at him.

“Don’t you need to get to that study group?” I asked. He pulled back and nodded.

“Um… yeah. Study group. Right,” he said, flustered. I grinned and let go of his hand.

“Goodnight, Princess,” I said as he walked away. He turned his head and grinned at me.

Maybe playing with fire wouldn’t burn me after all.


	5. Abel

**Chapter 5**

**Abel**

 

After what happened that Wednesday night, I felt… different, though not in a bad way. I felt more awake, more in-tune with what was going on around me. And, in addition, I would often find myself thinking of Cain. I would just be sitting in class, or doing my homework, and then thoughts of him would pop up in my mind, causing me to suddenly get butterflies in my stomach. And, despite hardly knowing much about him other than that he had a bad attitude and was in a rival fraternity, I hadn’t ever felt this way about someone before. Granted, I had also never been kissed by someone before, at least not while I was sober, but still. The butterflies were… nice.

Thursday passed by slowly, considering Cain and I didn’t meet for tutoring that day. But, as I went to my Friday classes, and the clock was nearing three, I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited to see him. I wouldn’t let him know, though. I still couldn’t bring myself to let him have the satisfaction of anything. It was too good for his ego.

Finally, at 2:55, I walked through the doors of the library, and sat down at our usual table. Despite knowing that Cain would show up five minutes late, I hated not being on time, and so I waited patiently.

That was, until I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Looking at the screen, I saw Cain was… calling me? Curiosity beginning to pool in my mind, I slid my thumb over the screen to answer.

“Cain? What’s up?” I asked. I heard him sigh on the other end.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to the library,” he said. I heard a slight rasp in his voice, like he was fighting a sore throat.

“Are you sick?” I asked. A muffled coughing sound came through the speaker and I frowned.

“Yeah,” he responded. “Not too bad, though. Just a wicked cough and I’m really sore. The sore stuff could be because of work, though…” he trailed off and I could picture his trademark smirk plastered across his face. I sighed.

“You have a Chem exam on Monday, Cain,” I said, ignoring his attempt to fluster me with the mental image of him doing a strip tease.

“So come tutor me in my room,” he responded. “I hear change of atmosphere is good for studying or some shit.” I tensed up a bit and the butterflies returned.

“And where might that be?” I asked, shoving my computer back in my bag. I stood up and swung it over my shoulder before heading back downstairs.

“Noir Hall, room 369.” he answered as I walked.

“Okay, I will be there in ten minutes.” I replied before saying goodbye and ending the call. As I slipped my phone back into my pants pocket, I sighed. Noir hall was almost completely on the other side of campus. He definitely owed me one. However, I was interested in seeing where Cain lived. But also, in the back of my mind, I also knew that Cain and I would probably be alone together.

Stupid butterflies.

 

* * *

 

When I finally reached Noir hall, I climbed up the stairs to the main entrance. Once I got into the building, however, upon further inspection I realized that there was no elevator. With a heavy sigh I pushed open the door to the stairwell and made my way up to the third floor.

Noir hall had one of the most confusing layouts I had ever seen. I could’ve sworn it was literally like Hogwarts or something. There were so many dead end hallways, doors that lead nowhere, and somehow, I had ended up on the fourth floor on the girls side of the building.

Finally, though, after a lot of backtracking, I made it to room 369. To my surprise, though, the door was already ajar, and I could hear some faint music playing from within. I recognized the song, but couldn’t place the name. I slowly pushed the door open further.

The lights inside were dim, the only source being a desk lamp in the corner of the room. There was a bed pushed into the corner of the room, upon which Cain was sitting, wrapped tightly in a large black duvet.

“You can come in, you know,” he said, looking up at me. I stepped over the threshold and stepped inside the small room. Looking around, I saw a drastic difference between the two sides of the room. What I assumed was Cain’s side was rather messy. There were papers and (hopefully) empty cans strewn across the desk, an almost full trash can, clothes scattered on the floor and thrown in the closet. The other side, on the other hand, was very clean and orderly.

Slowly, he stood up on the bed and stepped down onto the floor. I watched as he bent over and picked up his presumably dirty laundry and threw it in the basket in the closet.

“Sorry, I know it’s kind of messy.” he admitted. I smiled.

“Kind of? You’re funny.” I replied, stepping further into the room after closing the door behind me. “I don’t really mind, though. At least you have space on the floor to walk around. I have seen some guys’ rooms in Beta Omega who don’t even have that.” Cain let out a laugh.

“Good to know I am at least more cleanly than some.”

“But, you know…” I muttered, laying my backpack down on the floor so that it was leaning on the side of his bed, “...you should really let in some natural light.” Moving over to the one window in the room, I lifted the blinds up so that the sun streamed into the darkness of the room. He groaned.

“It burns though…” he complained. I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Sucks,” I said bluntly, returning over to his side of the room. Quietly, I sat down cross-legged on the floor next to his bed, and began fishing through my backpack. Following suit, Cain got his chemistry book, notebook, and pencil, and returned to the warmth of his bed. Setting his class materials to the side, he wrapped himself back in the blanket.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to study for your chemistry exam if you don’t have your hands free.” He glared at me and shoved his hands through the small opening of the blanket.

“You underestimate my power,” he said, darkly. I raised my eyebrows.

“Really now? What is the name for the crystal structure of Sodium chloride?” Cain’s eyes widened a little, and he reached an arm out from under the blanket to grab his textbook.

“Uh, it’s… uh…” I grinned.

“Mhm, exactly.” I reached up and grabbed the textbook from him, flipping to the page where it talked about crystal structures. Finding the passage I was looking for, I held it up to Cain. “See here? It’s cubic.”

“See? You didn’t know it, either!” He accused. I rolled my eyes.

“Idiot, I _did_ know! I took this class last year! I was just showing you…” He snortled.

“Alright, alright, Mr. A-list,” he retorted. “Should I be writing down anything about these ‘cubic structures’?”

“Yes. And triclinic structures, and monoclinic structures, and orthorhombic structures, and rhombohedral structures…”

“Whoa, wait, hold up!” exclaimed Cain, fumbling to get his notebook and pencil. “Just… let me write this down…”

 

* * *

 

By the time we had covered everything Cain needed to know for his exam, the sun was beginning to set. The light coming in through the window had diminished greatly, and we had been too lazy to turn on any other lights in the room, so the only source of light we had was the lamp that Cain had already had on when I first arrived. It cast an yellow-orange glow on everything in our little corner of the room, and I couldn’t help but notice how it gave Cain’s tan skin an amber look to it. Realizing that I was probably staring, though, I quickly turned my gaze away from him.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I asked, leaning back on my hands. He shrugged.

“Staying here and eating all of Praxis’ food, probably,” he said. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“Why’s that?” I asked. He gave a soft sigh.

“I can’t exactly go home,” he said quietly.

“Why not? Where’s home for you?”

“St. Petersburg,” he said, adjusting the duvet around him. It had fallen off the top of his head and down to his shoulders. Getting frustrated slightly, he resorted to laying on his stomach with the blanket draped over him.

“Pennsylvania?” I asked. He laughed and shook his head.

“Russia.” My eyes widened in surprise.

“You grew up in Russia?” He smiled and rested his face on his hands.

“Yep, I’m full-Russian.”

“I didn’t even know… you don’t even have an accent or anything.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said with a wink. I grinned.

“I don’t know. I think accents are pretty hot,” I said, grin turning into a smirk. Cain let out a whistle.

“Oh, you like zat ven I talk like zis?” I snorted, trying to suppress my laughter.

“Actually, your normal voice is better.” He smirked.

“That’s what I thought,” he muttered, his voice lowering. “Anyways, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Going home, I assume?” I nodded.

“Yeah, since I only live about an hour away, it’s easy for me to go home and see family.” He smiled down at me.

“You’re lucky.” I snorted.

“Not really. I’m not too fond of most of them,” I admitted. “I’m the closest to my mom, and my dad is bearable most of the time, as long as I maintain my grades. All of my grandparents are dead, and my extended family isn’t the greatest, so…”

“So I’m guessing family gatherings are kind of awkward for you?” I laughed softly.

“Yeah, pretty much. Plus I’m an only child, and I don’t have any cousins that are around my age.”

“If I were there, we could totally just ditch all of them,” he joked, causing me to chuckle. “You could eat Thanksgiving dinner, get a little drunk, then get the fuck out.”

“That’s pretty much what I do already.” I replied with a laugh, “Besides the getting drunk part, of course. My parents don’t let me drink at home.”

“Really?” Cain asked with surprise, “Not even a glass of wine or anything?” I shook my head.

“Not even that. For one thing, the wine my parents have is usually older than me and therefore very, very expensive, so they don’t want me to waste it. Secondly, they don’t want me to drink until I am old enough, otherwise it will be a ‘slippery slope’.” I explained. Cain raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Wow, you really _are_ sheltered.” he commented. I gave a small smile and stared directly at him.

“And I suppose you’re gonna make it your mission to make sure I become completely corrupted?” He smirked down at me from his place on the bed.

“Maybe not completely, but yes, I’m gonna make sure you actually live a little…” he muttered, gazing at me. I only responded by staring into his dark eyes, finally realizing just how little space there was between his face and mine.

That was, until Cain closed that gap by pulling my chin up and pressing our lips together. This time, though, I wasn’t caught off-guard. To be perfectly honest, I wanted him to kiss me. And, throwing all my cares out the window, I kissed him back. Moving so that I no longer needed my hands to support me, I intertwined them at the back of his neck, grabbing softly at his dark hair.

With expert precision, and not even having to break our kiss, Cain lifted me up onto the bed with him. I laid down, and he was immediately on top of me, caressing his hands up the sides of my torso. After another moment, he separated our mouths so that he could trail his kisses down to my jaw and neck.

“Cain…” I muttered as he started to lift my shirt up, “...how far are we going to go?” I asked. Cain stopped what he was doing for a moment to gaze at me.

“Don’t worry, Princess, I won’t do anything you’re not ready for.” He kissed my stomach, just above the hem of my jeans. “You just let me do all the work for now.”

I sat up slightly as he lifted my shirt up over my head. He pressed his lips back to mine as he threw it across the room, forgotten. I groaned when he moved his lips down to the base of my neck. He bit down on the soft skin and smirked against it when I flinched. _That’s going to leave a mark,_ I thought to myself. I tugged at his dark hair and gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly when he moved lower and grazed a nipple with his teeth.

My fingers slid through his hair as he trailed kisses down my abdomen slowly. I gasped as he kissed my erection through the denim fabric that was holding it hostage.

“ _Shit_ , Cain,” I moaned, pulling harder at his hair. I felt him chuckle and glanced down at him. He grinned and stared at me through his eyelashes. I shivered as he slid his fingers down my sides and rested on my hips for a moment before moving to unbutton and unzip my jeans. My heartbeat was pounding heavily as he pulled down both my jeans and my boxers in a swift motion, releasing my erection.

I hissed a bit at the unexpected rush of cold air on the sensitive area, but the discomfort did not last long. With one last glance up at me, Cain slid a hand up to grasp the base of my cock, while he leaned in and began licking the tip. I gave a loud moan and threw my head back against his pillow at the sudden wave of pleasure.

All at once, I was completely at his mercy. I could only moan and pant and say his name as he sucked and kissed and licked me. I was helpless, but I fucking loved it. I loved not knowing what he was going to do next. I loved moaning “There,” when he sucked somewhere especially nice. I loved every bit of it.

And what I loved the most was when he managed to put the entire thing in his mouth.

“Ah!” I cried in surprise. I had almost come from him just doing that. As he came back up for air, I could see a smirk plastered on his face.

“You like that?” he asked, his hot breath hitting the tip of my cock. I could only groan softly in response.

“Then you’re gonna love this…” he muttered before engulfing my entire erection in his mouth once more. I let out another loud moan, but this time, Cain moaned too. I could hear it.

And, dear, sweet God, I could feel it too. The vibrations of his humming brought even more pleasure, and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to release.

“Ah, Cain…” I moaned down to him, “I’m… I think I’m gonna…” Before I could finish, though, I was interrupted.

“What the hell is this?” exclaimed a loud voice suddenly from the other side of the room. I quickly looked over to find Praxis standing in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face. “What the fuck?!”

I bolted upright and felt my cheeks start to burn up. Cain got up on his haunches and glared at his roommate, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. I hastily pulled up my boxers and jeans and zipped them back up before covering my face with my hands in embarrassment.

“I locked the fucking door for a fucking reason, Praxis. Learn to fucking knock,” he snapped. Praxis gave Cain a look of disgust.

“Why the hell would I knock on my _own fucking door_?” Praxis asked, throwing his bag on his desk and falling into his chair. Cain mumbled something under his breath in what I assumed was Russian. Standing up, he snatched my shirt up off the floor and tossed it to me.

“Maybe if you weren’t such an asshole--” Cain started. _This isn’t going to be good,_ I thought as I stood up and gathered the rest of my belongings.

“ _I’m_ the asshole?! You’re the one who deliberately violated the roommate agreement!” Praxis shouted.

“Fuck the roommate agreement,” Cain snapped. “It’s bullshit, anyways.” Praxis glared at him.

“I liked it better when you weren’t ever around,” he said. Cain snorted and handed me my hoodie off of the back of his chair.

“Well, get the fuck over it,” Cain said. Looking at me he sighed and rubbed his temples. I gave him a sympathetic look. Without a word, he and I walked through the door and out into the hallway. Cain pulled the door shut behind himself. Turning, I looked up at him.

“Sorry about that,” he said with a groan. “He’s a fuckass.” I laughed slightly.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “I know how it feels to not get along with your roommate.” He took a step closer to me and put a hand on my cheek. I leaned into his touch, eyes fluttering closed.

“We should do that again sometime. Hopefully without any interruptions,” he whispered, leaning closer to me. I smiled and raised my lips to his. Pulling back a second later, I grinned.

“I agree,” I said with a wink. I was about to turn to walk away when I remembered something. “Oh, before I go…”

“What, you wanna find someplace where we can finish this now? I hear the bushes aren’t too bad.” I chuckled and shook my head.

“Well, it _does_ sound tempting… But I wanted to ask if maybe you’d like to come home with me over Thanksgiving break? Since you aren’t able to go home and I would like someone to keep me company.” Cain raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You really want me to?” he asked. I nodded fervently.

“Yeah, I do.” After a moment, his look of surprise changed to one of happiness.

“That sounds great,” he responded, smiling down at me.

“Good,” I replied before waving goodbye to him. I turned and walked down the hallway, the butterflies in my stomach going full-force.


	6. Cain

**Chapter 6**

**Cain**

 

It had taken me awhile to realize what Abel had actually asked when he invited me to go home with him over Thanksgiving break. The entire ordeal meant that I was going to be meeting his family, seeing where he grew up, learning even more about him. In all honesty, it was nerve-wracking. It was hard for me to get to know people on deep levels, but somehow, for some reason, Abel made it easy. I knew he wanted me to be in his life more. But the only downside was that I was having a hard time opening up to him in the same way. But it wasn’t a huge issue, right? I mean, he and I weren’t even officially ‘dating’. Our relationship for the moment was strictly that of a tutor and tutee who also happened to be getting frisky with one another. I sighed, taking a drag from my cigarette. I didn’t want to think about it right now.

I was making my way through campus to meet Abel outside the Beta Omega house, where his dad would be picking us up. The late-November air was chilly, and I could feel the tingle of cold on my face as I walked with my duffel bag in hand.

Within several more minutes, I was in front of the chapter house. Surprised to find Abel already waiting for me on the cold stone steps of the front porch, I smiled down at him.

“You could have waited inside for me, you know,” I said, putting out my cigarette butt.

“It’s not all that cold,” he replied with a laugh. “Plus my dad should be here in just a few minutes.”

“Pssh, not _that_ cold?” I said, reaching a hand up to caress Abel’s face. “Your cheeks are all red. And you’re shivering.” He shrugged and rubbed his gloved hands together. Sighing, I put my bag down on the ground and shrugged off my leather jacket. I draped it across his shoulders and sat on the steps next to him. He looked at me with a confused look.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“...I’m Russian,” I replied with a snort.

“Oh,” he said, trying to stifle a laugh. “So that means you’re immune to the cold?”

“It just means that I’m used to much colder temperatures. This?” I gestured to the sky, “This is spring weather.”

“Alright, alright,” Abel said, “Just let me know if you get too cold.”

“Then we would be waiting here all day,” I said with a smirk. He smiled at the retort, and after a moment he spoke up again.

“So, before you meet my parents, I wanted to talk with you.”

“What about?”

“I just was hoping you might… tone down the attitude a little. At least, around them. You don’t have to for me, of course.”

“Well, shit. I was really looking forward to being a sass master this week…”

“You also can’t curse,” he said, sighing. I frowned. “They’re not very accepting of that sort of thing.”

“Not surprising, considering how much it took to get _you_ to swear.”

“I won’t be swearing around them either, obviously,” he explained, “Just… let them know all the good things about you. Your major, your accomplishments… do everything you can to impress them.”

“Am I trying to get them into the sack with me or something?” I joked.

“No, anything but that!” he exclaimed, waving his hands anxiously. I let out a loud laugh.

“Now _that_ would be something.” He chuckled slightly before abruptly looking down at his phone. He swiped his finger across the screen and raised it to his ear.

“Hello? … No we’re outside. … Yeah, Beta Omega. … Yeah, I see you. … Alright. Bye, Dad.” He ended the call and stuffed his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Standing up, he grabbed his backpack and looked down at me. “You ready?” I nodded and got up from the cold cement.

Looking towards the street, I saw a black Porsche pull up. With an impressed whistle, I shouldered my bag and followed Abel up to the vehicle.

“Hi, dad,” Abel greeted his father as he and I both shuffled into the back seat. I sat on the driver’s side and shut the door behind me.

“So, this is the friend you mentioned?” his dad said, looking at us through the rear-view mirror. He had a very similar facial structure to Abel, but his was stronger, more angular, and obviously much more aged. His hair was nearly white, he wore thick-rimmed glasses, and had facial hair. His eyes, though, rather than being dark like his son’s, were a piercing pale gray. And, as he looked at me, I could tell what Abel had meant when he said that his parents weren’t very accepting. His father immediately gave off a judgmental aura, so much so that I could almost hear him listing off the things that he didn’t like about me. In fact, he probably was, just not out loud. I smirked.

“Yes, hello, Mister…?” I asked. Abel’s father frowned and looked away.

“Just call me ‘Professor’,” he replied bluntly as he shifted the car out of park and started off down the road, “It’s what I tell all my students to call me.” Being sure that he wasn’t watching, I shrugged and looked over at Abel, who was obviously nervous.

“This is Cain,” he explained politely, “He’s the one I have been tutoring for the past few weeks.”

“Really? Pity that he would need tutoring in the first place.” I saw Abel wince a little at the rude comment.

“Yes, but he has been doing a lot better since I’ve been helping him.”

“Well of course, with you as his tutor, it’s only natural,” the Professor chuckled.

“I did learn from the best,” he said with a nod, only bothering to half-smile. I’m not sure if his father could see past how fake the compliment was, but it seemed to appease him.

“So, Cain, are you an engineering major, then?” the Professor asked.

“Yes, sir. Mechanical engineering,” I responded, nodding and glancing at Abel, “I’m just a freshman, though.”

“Have you declared a minor?” The Professor was keen on interrogating me.

“Russian,” I answered confidently with another nod as I met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

“And what exactly do you plan on accomplishing with a minor in Russian?” I frowned. I clearly understood why Abel was not too fond of him.

“Well, I figured that since I was born in Russia that I would get a minor in it,” I replied, “My advisor said that it would help with international business relations, and would give me an advantage on my resumé that others wouldn’t normally have.”

“Hm, that’s true. Your advisor was probably right.” With a grin, I turned back to face Abel. After a short pause, his father spoke up again.

“Abel,  I saw earlier that you were getting a low A in your aerospace course,” The Professor said, turning the conversation back to his son. I saw Abel tense up and frown.

“I know. I’m working on getting it back up,” Abel said, avoiding his father’s gaze.

“You’re obviously not trying hard enough. I expect it to be back above ninety-five percent before finals roll around,” he said in a stern tone. Abel nodded.

“Yes, sir,” Abel responded in a soft voice. All at once, I regretted everything I had ever said about Abel being a nerd. It wasn’t even of his own accord, but rather so that his father wouldn’t become angry with him.

“You know I only want you to be at your best,” explained the Professor. I gave a soft growl, just enough so that he couldn’t hear me from the front seat. I could obviously tell that he was giving half-assed excuses to make it seem like he was being like this for Abel’s sake. It was evident, though, that he was doing this for himself: living his life through his son. Knowing that Abel wouldn’t want me to speak up, though, I let it go. And, thankfully, so did the Professor.

We spent the rest of the hour-long car ride in silence, Abel’s dad unspeaking as he drove down the freeway, and Abel and I happily sharing the earbuds of Abel’s iPod. In the midst of the quiet, I looked over to Abel. His expression was solemn, and he appeared to be lost in his thoughts. Without saying anything, I slid my hand over to cover his, and with a small smile, he shook his head slightly.

“ _Not here_ ,” he mouthed to me, eyes darting to his father. I nodded in understanding and withdrew my hand, placing it on my own knee instead.

 

After what had almost seemed like ages, we finally pulled into the driveway of a huge brick house. And, when I say that it was huge, there was no exaggeration. Seriously, the thing had fucking _gates._ I was in awe as we pulled into a four car garage.

“Well _someone_ obviously lives on the nice side of the tracks,” I mumbled so that only Abel could hear

“Come on,” he said with a soft chuckle, opening his door once his dad had turned the engine off. “I want you to meet my mother.” I gulped slightly. If his mother was half as strict as his father, I could maybe make it through the week without wanting to punch myself in the face.

I climbed out of the car and gently shut the door behind me. I walked around to the back of the vehicle and stood next to Abel as we got our bags out of the trunk. I bumped our hips together gently and turned to grin at him. He gave me an open-mouthed smile, feigning a look of offense. I winked at him before looking around to make sure his parents weren’t in sight. Upon realization that his father had already entered the house, I grabbed his waist and pulled him close to me. I bent down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He pulled back and sighed. I grinned at him and leaned in close.

“Your dad’s a great big bag of dicks,” I whispered. He gasped and looked around.

“Shhh. Cain,” he warned quietly. With a chuckle I swung my bag over my shoulder as he shut the trunk. We made our way to the door. Just before we climbed the three steps up to the door, though, I reached my hand over and grabbed his ass. He yelped in surprise and smacked my arm.

“Stop it!”

“Couldn’t resist.” I shrugged and smirked at him. He glared at me and put his hand on the doorknob.

“Be _nice_ ,” he whispered and twisted the knob, opening the door. When we stepped inside, he turned to me. “Take off your shoes.” I did so and placed them next to his on the floor. Standing back up, I looked around to take in my surroundings.

Unsurprisingly, the inside of the house was just as impressive as the outside. The floors were cherry hardwood, and the ceilings had to be at least fifteen feet above us. There was a staircase that led down to a basement that, from what I could see, seemed to be half-finished.

I followed Abel through the hallway and into the open kitchen. He sat his bag down on the floor next to the marble-topped island and walked up to the woman standing at the stove.

“Oh, Abel, sweetie!” she exclaimed, immediately kissing him on the cheek and pulling him into a hug. Looking at the two of them, I could tell right away that I liked her more than her husband.

She, too, had pale hair, and Abel’s dark eyes. On the other hand, though, she was shorter than him, but only slightly. Releasing him from her embrace, she turned to face me, a smile still present on her face.

“And you must be Abel’s friend!” she said, approaching me.

“Nice to meet you, Mis--” before I could finish the sentence, however, she walked over to me and wrapped me in a hug as well. I gave Abel a look of confusion, and was unable to hug her back due to the fact that I still had my bag in hand. Pulling away, she laughed to herself.

“Helen, dear. Call me Helen,” she said with a warm smile. Turning to Abel, she adjusted my jacket on his shoulders. “When did you get this?” she asked him.

“Oh!” I watched as a blush rose to his cheeks. “It’s Cain’s. I got cold while waiting for Dad and he let me borrow it.” She glanced at me and formed an ‘o’ with her mouth.

“Well, you best get your things up to your room and get washed up. Elena and I almost have dinner ready,” she said as she patted his shoulders. He nodded and walked back over to me. Picking up his bag, he motioned for me to follow him.

He lead me through a large, open living room with incredibly soft carpet. There was a large, black, grand piano in one of the corners. The far wall was entirely made of windows and I could see out into the deck and vast backyard. The ceiling was even higher in this room, and I could see up to the second floor.

We climbed the stairs to the second level and walked straight up to a set of wooden double doors. Abel put his hands on the handles of both, and pushed, opening them to reveal what was obviously his room. The furniture inside was very modern, and everything was extremely tidy. On one side of the room was his large, queen sized bed, closet, and tv stand, while on the other side was a desk and bookshelf. In addition to these things, though, there was also a large 10-gallon tank on a dresser towards the back of the room. As I walked further into the room, I realized that inside the tank was a large green reptile.

“You have a motherfucking _lizard_?” I asked Abel in disbelief as soon as he had closed the doors. He nodded.

“It’s an iguana,” he said. “His name’s Gary.”

“Gary? Are you fucking serious?" I asked before busting into laughter. "Holy shit, you are something else."

“What? Gary’s awesome,” he said with a smile.

“Whatever you say,” I said, tossing my backpack onto the floor. He put his next to the closet door and walked back over to his bed. Flopping down on it, he moaned lightly.

"I really missed my bed," he said, putting his hands behind his head. I smirked as he gave a heavy sigh and stared up at the ceiling.

“Is it comfy?” I asked, inching more towards the bed. Abel turned to look at me and gave a small smile.

“Why do you ask?” he wondered as he sat up on the mattress.

“Oh, no reason,” I said, sitting down next to him. “Just curious.”

“I think you’re lying about that,” he replied, laughing quietly as he leaned in closer to me, “I think there’s a different reason why you want to know.”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, pretending to sound hurt, “I have only the noblest of intentions.”

“Of course you do,” Abel retorted, his voice getting quieter. I was about to come up with another smart comeback, but Abel silenced me by quickly pressing his lips to mine. Before I could react, he pulled back and stood up.

"We need to get ready for dinner," he said, crossing the room to open another door, which I assumed led into the bathroom. I sighed, disappointed that we couldn’t get away with more than a few kisses while his parents were in the house. I sighed and flopped back on the bed. Looking up at the slanted ceiling, I noticed several white dots painted on the dark blue base coat. I heard the door to the bathroom open and, shortly thereafter, Abel laid next to me.

“What’cha looking at?” he inquired, following my gaze.

“What’s with the dots on the ceiling?” I wondered. They didn’t seem to be following a pattern, and it was curious.

“I mapped the stars and painted them up there,” he answered with a chuckle. I turned to look at him.

“You _mapped the stars_?” I asked in amazement. _Calm down, Galileo._

“Yes. Yes I did,” he said, nodding with a triumphant grin plastered on his face.

“Why?” I asked.

“I’m fascinated by space. Someday, I want to work for NASA, which is why I’m studying aerospace engineering,” he said, shrugging. He stood up and held a hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up off the bed.

“So you want to be an astronaut?” I asked, smirking down at him.

“Maybe some day,” he replied. ”Come on, let’s go downstairs. Mom and Elena are probably done cooking by now.”

“I thought you said you were an only child,” I said. He nodded and opened one of the doors into the hallway.

“I am. Elena’s our maid,” he said. I stopped and stared at him. He turned around and furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

“You have a fucking _maid_?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yeah…” he nodded slowly, a grin spreading across his face. I shook my head and followed him down the stairs and into the dining room. I was hit with the sudden realization of just how different we were. This week was going to be something of a culture shock for me and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

 

As Abel and I ate dinner in the vast dining room with his parents, they continued to ask me various questions. I figured they would, but that didn’t mean that the near-interrogation wasn’t starting to get on my nerves a little. But, with what Abel had asked of me pricking the back of my mind, I endured. However, some questions were beginning to hit a little too close to home.

“So, Cain, I bet you have a girlfriend, am I right?” Abel’s dad said as he cut his steak into small pieces. I nearly spat out my drink.

“Uh,” I started, wiping my mouth with the soft, cotton napkin. “No, actually. I guess I haven’t found the right person.” As I said this, I dared to make a quick glance over to Abel, just to see how he would react, and, just as I expected, he visually tensed up a little, and a tinge of pink appeared on his face. I smirked.

“Well, you will certainly meet a lot of people during your college years,” the Professor muttered, “You’re bound to find someone eventually.”

“I sure hope so,” I replied confidently, taking another sip of my water.

“I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding a nice girl, Cain,” Abel’s mother chimed in. “I’ll bet you have tons of girls flocking to you.” The irony was almost too much to bear.

“That’s nice of you to say, Helen, but it’s not really true. I’m kind of picky when it comes to relationships,” I explained.

“Really? What’s your type, then?” Abel asked, staring me dead in the eye. _Right now? It’s you, dumbass…_ I thought to myself. My eyes narrowed slightly and I set my glass back down on the table. I wasn’t going to let him fluster me. With a smirk, I spoke up, attempting to throw the ball back into his court.

“Well, I really like light hair. A blonde, maybe? Looks aren’t everything, though, I know. I would like her to be smart and kind, but still have a fire about her. I admit, I’m pretty stubborn, so I would like someone who is able to balance that out,” I answered. “I feel like I need someone who is nearly the opposite of me, rather than in other cases where people try to find someone with so many similarities. I would like someone to keep me grounded and to teach me how to become a better person. I know that they would feel like being around me was difficult most of the time, since I’m so hard-headed, but I would make up for it. I would cherish them: take them around the world, show them the stars, and treat them like the princess they deserve to be,” I finished and glanced around the table. Helen gave a small gasp and lifted a hand to her heart.

“That’s so sweet, Cain,” she said with a smile. “Your wife will be so lucky to have you, dear.” Abel’s dad gave a ‘hmf’ from across the table.

“Well, that sounds all well and good when you say it, but that’s not how it works in reality. You won’t have time to travel the world; you will have to work at least five days a week.” I frowned, knowing already in my mind where this was going. “And no matter how ‘perfect’ the woman may seem for you, there will always be disagreements between the pair of you. It’s inevitable, considering she will most likely start thinking that you need to actually fight for her or nonsense like that. Which is why women have to be taught their place in a marriage.” I flinched. Did I hear him correctly? Clenching my fist beneath the tabletop, Abel slid his hand over to touch mine in a silent plea. Knowing he wouldn’t want me to go apeshit on his dad at the dinner table, nor anywhere for that matter, I breathed in deeply, and managed to suppress my anger.

“How’s work going, Dad?” Abel asked, changing the topic quickly. As his father gave some dreary and pessimistic response, I blocked it out and let my mind wander as I finished everything on my plate.

After we got done eating and helping his parents clear the table, Abel and I headed back up to his bedroom. Closing the doors behind us, Abel gave a heavy sigh.

“I’m beginning to think it was a bad idea to bring you home with me…” Turning to face him, I put a hand on his shoulder and shook my head.

“No, I am glad you asked me.” He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. “And believe me, I have had to deal with worse people than your dad. And, on the bright side, you mom’s really cute.”

“Don’t you _dare_ think of trying to get with my mom,” he muttered as he furrowed his eyebrows. I couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh.

“You really think I would?!” I exclaimed. “It’s possible I might, but no. She does remind me of someone I _do_ want to get with though…” I muttered, stepping closer to him so that he was trapped directly between me and the door. Placing my arms on either side of him so he couldn’t escape, I leaned in forward so much that our noses were touching. 

“Cain, I don’t want my parents to hear or walk in on us…” he muttered, a tinge of worry present in his voice.

“I know, I know…” I muttered, maintaining our closeness. “Just… one for now…” I whispered before closing the gap between our lips. Abel moaned quietly into the kiss, reassuring me that he still wanted it.

However, it didn’t turn out to just be one kiss. As I pulled away, Abel, despite his worries about his parents, grabbed the fabric of my t-shirt and pulled me back in, smashing our lips together forcefully. Smirking into the kiss, I gave a low growl and slid one of my legs in between his, pressing into his erection that was starting to show. He moaned, and as he slid his fingers up into my hair, I placed my hands on his slim waist, sliding them under the fabric of his shirt so that I could feel the soft skin beneath.

“Ugh… I want you so fucking bad…” I whispered to him as we looked each other in the eyes.

“I do too…” he muttered, turning away and looking forlornly at the carpeted floor. After a moment, though, his expression changed. Rather than looking solemn, which was how he had been nearly all day, probably due to the presence of his father, he instead looked determined.

“Cain…” he spoke up, gazing back at me, “...let’s go to the movies.”

“Um, okay, if you want to,” I replied with a raised eyebrow as I let my arms fall back to my sides. “But what do you wanna go see?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Abel replied, walking over to his desk to grab his hoodie. “I just wanna go somewhere where we can have a little privacy.”

“Sounds good to me,” I responded as I suddenly realized what he meant. Grinning, I quickly grabbing my leather jacket. “Let’s go.”

 

After a hurried goodbye to his father, and after telling his mother where we were going, Abel led me into the huge garage and up to a brand-new red Mustang. I stared at the vehicle in awe.

“That’s one sexy car…” I muttered.

“Glad you think so,” he replied with a laugh, sliding into the driver’s seat. I smirked. I could definitely get used to this.

Getting into the passenger seat next to him, Abel and I rode down to the movie theater, bought our tickets (we picked some action flick because then nobody would hear us with all the explosions), and chose a pair of seats all the way in the back of the theater.

“Cain,” Abel said after we got situated, “Where are your parents?” The question surprised me.

“Why?”

“Well, I just hope that they are nicer than my father,” he said, propping his feet up on the seat in front of us.

“I don’t really know,” I confessed. He turned and looked at me, confused.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” He asked.

“I never knew them. My earliest memories have all been with my grandmother,” I said quietly. “The only time I had any contact with my parents was when they sent gifts on my birthday and Christmas.” _What am I saying?_ I wondered to myself. I was very protective of the secrets of my past and had never talked about this with anyone before, but something about Abel made me spill almost everything.

“Did she raise you, then?” He asked, shifting to a more comfortable position in his seat. I nodded.

“All the way up until I was fifteen.”

“What happened when you turned fifteen?” I inhaled deeply and turned to look at him.

“She passed away,” I said. I can still remember when I got the news. I regretted everything about our last conversation and I never got the chance to say how sorry I was. The memory still stung.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Cain…” he muttered, obviously regretting that he asked. I shook my head.

“Don’t worry about it, Princess, it’s okay. People die. Especially old people.” He gave a small laugh at the last part. “I just had to learn to be on my own from then on.”

“What did you do after she died?” Abel asked. I stiffened up. His questions were starting to hit a little too close.

“I… don’t want to talk about it,” I muttered. “Just know that I am fine now.” After a pause, Abel nodded and changed the subject.

“I think I know how you feel,” Abel replied to me. “About being alone, I mean. I have been on my own a lot too. Obviously not without parents, though, but something similar.”

“You have friends here, though, don’t you?” I asked.

“Sure, I have people I graduated from high school with that I will say hi to when I bump into them, but nobody that actually goes out of their way to hang out with me.”

“Abel…” I muttered, realizing that he really didn’t have anyone here. Frowning, I placed a hand on his knee. “I am here with you.” Looking directly into my eyes, he smiled.

“I know, thank you.” Leaning in close, he and I met one another with a kiss as the movie started. And for the entire time, until nearly two hours later when the credits started rolling, we refused to let go of each other.

 

After we returned from the movie, it was already almost eleven o’clock, and the house was dark, meaning that Abel’s parents had probably already gone to bed. Silently, he and I tiptoed up the stairs and changed into our pajamas. To be blatantly honest, though, as he took off his pants and switched his normal shirt for one that was obviously a couple sizes too big, I couldn’t help but stare from my spot on the floor at his flawless bared skin. Usually, pale skin wasn’t all that attractive, but with Abel it worked. It _definitely_ worked. My mind suddenly was filled with thoughts of caressing the small of his back, kissing his shoulders, and giving him hickeys all over his neck and collarbone so that everyone in the world would know he was mine.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, breaking me from my dirty thoughts. I looked up at him and blinked.

“Uh…” For once I couldn’t come up with snarky comeback. With a small chuckle, Abel reached his hand out and helped me up from the floor.

“Come on, perv, we have to set up the air mattress for you.” I frowned.

“You mean I’m _not_ sleeping with you?” I frowned.

“O-of course not!” he stuttered, a blush creeping up to his cheeks. “If that wouldn’t give us away to my parents, I don’t know what will.”

“Well if they saw us getting freaky then they could probably figure it out right away…”

“Cain!” Abel exclaimed. I laughed, following him as he stomped over to his closet.

“Kidding, just kidding,” I replied as he opened the sliding wooden doors. Looking up to the top shelf, Abel sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. He turned to look at me.

“That rolled up thing on the top shelf is the mattress, and I can’t reach it.” After pausing to process what he meant, I couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

“You mean you’re too short?” I asked through my laughter.

“Hey! I’m five feet six inches! That’s not short; that’s pretty average,” he responded with a frown.

“Pff, maybe for a woman.” He frowned.

“Oh, and what are you, like six feet?” Abel said, scoffing.

“Close. I’m five-eleven,” I replied with a grin.

“Whatever, can you just please be a gentleman for once and help me get the fucking air mattress?” he snapped after rolling his eyes.

“Damn, watch your mouth,” I said, mocking him. Turning back to face the shelves, I only had to get on my tip-toes to reach the rolled-up mattress, and after getting it down I handed it to Abel with a smirk.

Within about ten minutes, the mattress was all set up on the floor right next to Abel’s bed. With a sigh I flopped down onto it, still melancholy over the fact that I couldn’t sleep in Abel’s queen bed with him.

“Here you go,” Abel said happily as he tossed a pillow and twin-sized duvet at me. “If you need any extra blankets, there are some in the bottom drawer underneath Gary’s tank.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, wrapping myself in the comfy fabric. With a smile, Abel crawled onto his own bed, and was about to reach to turn off the bedside lamp until I lifted my hand up to grab his.

“W-what’s wrong?” he asked. I shook my head.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I replied to him. “I wanted to hold you, but since I can’t do that, I guess this will have to work.” I pulled his hand down and gently kissed the back of it. He smiled down at me from his place on the bed, where he lay on his stomach, nearly hanging off the edge.

“Goodnight, Cain,” he whispered, eyes fluttering closed.

“Goodnight, Princess,” I said, keeping hold of his hand. The last thing I saw before I, too, drifted off to sleep was his smiling face.


	7. Abel

**Chapter 7**

**Abel**

 

I woke up to the sound of knocking on my bedroom door. I groaned slightly and stuffed my face into my pillow. As hard as I tried to will the knocking away, it persisted. With a sigh, I turned my head to the door and yawned.

“Who is it?” I asked, snuggling back into the comfort of my bed. My eyes snapped open and I sat up as the door opened, allowing Elena walked in. “Hey!” She smiled at me.

“Oh, Abel, you don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, sweetheart,” she said and I felt a blush creep up to my cheeks. Looking down at the floor, her eyes widened. “Oh, my. I forgot you had company!” I looked at her confused until Cain sat up in bed. _Oh, yeah…_ I had forgotten about him, too. He turned around to look at me as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“This is Elena,” I said, gesturing to the older woman holding a stack of clean towels. She walked into the bathroom to put away the linens. He nodded.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. Turning to me, he smirked. “So you don’t have anything that she hasn’t seen before?” I glared at him and Elena came back into the bedroom.

“Of course not! I changed his diapers, after all,” she said with a warm smile. I groaned loudly and fell back on the bed. I covered my face with a pillow and heard Cain snort with laughter.

“Elena, _please,_ ” I mumbled through the pillow. She giggled.

“Well, anyways, just let me know when you two are finished getting ready, then I can get to tidying up your room.” With that, she exited back into the hallway, leaving Cain and me alone again.

“She cleans your fucking room for you?” he asked in awe. I sighed as I slipped out of bed, the cold air giving me a few goosebumps.

“Yeah, it’s part of her job,” I replied. “Thankfully, though, she doesn’t move any of my stuff. She just vacuums and dusts and uses Febreze to make it smell nice and that’s about it.”

“You really live the high life, don’t you?” Cain asked as he struggled to get up off the air mattress. I chuckled.

“Compared to most, yes. It’s not my fault though; my dad is a professor, as you already know, and mom is a surgeon.” Cain’s eyes widened.

“Dude, she must make fucking _bank_.”

“Yeah, both her and dad do, so that’s why we have all these nice things.”

“Would you ever be able to live lesser than this?” Cain asked. I thought a moment before replying.

“Probably, yes. I don’t need mustangs or flat-screens or maids or 4-car garages. They’re just objects.” Cain smiled.

“That’s pretty deep, Princess,” he said before disappearing into the bathroom. Looking down at my feet, I sighed. It was true that I didn’t need material things, because the things that I craved the most were not tangible.

 

By the time Cain and I had had showered and changed out of our pajamas, Mom and Elena had breakfast on the table. As we entered the dining room, I noticed that my dad was nowhere to be seen. I assumed that he was in his study, probably grading papers. We took our seats at the table and Mom placed a couple of plates in front of us that were filled with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs. Cain gawked at all the food like it was a gift from God, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as he tried figuring out what to eat first.

As he and I ate, though, my father came down the stairs and joined us at the kitchen table. He opened up his newspaper as he spoke over to Mom.

“Helen, have you told Abel what we’re doing today?” he asked my mother. With a confused expression, I turned to face her.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, setting a plate down at the table for my father. “I had almost forgotten. We are going to visit your aunt Penelope today for an early dinner, since she can’t make the trip over here for Thanksgiving.” I tried not to wince at the mention of my aunt.

Out of all the relatives I had, she was the worst. She was a highly conservative woman (like my father) who worked for some huge insurance company. She was one of those people whose job was her entire life, and made sure to tell me on multiple occasions that she thought my dream of working for NASA was foolish and petty.

In addition, I hated the way she treated me; she would feign being nice in front of me, but then when talking to my parents she would always list off the things that were ‘wrong’ with me, whether it be the way I dress, the fact that my hair was too long for her liking (not to mention she hated the yellow-green streaks I had), or that I never seemed to say “thank you” enough times for her to be satisfied. All in all, she was a total wench.

“Uh, by ‘we’ do you just mean you two?” I asked my parents. In my mind I was praying to every god in the universe that they didn’t plan on making me go. My father tilted his newspaper down so he could look me straight in the face.

“Of course not. You’re free, aren’t you? Would you seriously rather laze around the house rather than go and see your aunt? I’m sure she wouldn’t like that.” I looked over at my mother.

“Well, you see, I woke up with a really bad headache, and I’m feeling a bit dizzy…” I lied. A worried expression appeared on Mom’s face, and in my peripheral vision I could see Cain smirk, obviously aware of the fact that I was lying through my teeth.

“Oh, dear, do you need any medicine?” she asked with concern. I slowly shook my head.

“No, I took some earlier.” My father sighed from across the table.

“That’s what staying up so damned late at night will do to you, son,” he chided.

“I know, Dad. Sorry,” I muttered in response. Looking over to Cain, I saw him give me a wink, and I couldn’t help but smile a little.

My parents accepted my excuse, and after we had all finished eating, they got ready to leave.

“You just take it easy, okay, hon?” my mother said as she and my father put their jackets and shoes on in the garage. “I left twenty dollars for food on the fridge for you, since I don’t expect we will be back until after dark.” I smiled.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, pulling her into a hug. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Be safe.”

“Don’t worry, I will,” I replied, waving goodbye as she and my father got into the Porsche.

After they disappeared down the street, I returned into the house, only to find Cain waiting for me in the hallway. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and a smirk on his face.

“Well, what do you want to do now?” he asked in a low voice. I felt my face heat up, but quickly turned away from him and headed down the stairs to the basement.

“Let’s watch a movie,” I responded bluntly. Cain, obviously a little downhearted, followed me.

“Okay, but where are we going?” he asked curiously. I grinned.

“You’ll see.”

Leading him down the dark stairwell, I opened a pair of double doors which led into the only finished room we had in the basement. This room, too, was pitch black, but when I finally managed to reach the light switch and illuminate the room, Cain was awestruck.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” was all he could say. The room was our home theater, complete with a ten-foot-tall projector screen at the back, a handful of the comfiest reclining chairs that money could buy, and a tiny popcorn machine and a mini-fridge filled with refreshments in the corner to the left of us. And finally, to the right, the deal was sealed with a floor-to-ceiling shelf holding hundreds of movie titles. Glancing over at it, Cain immediately made his way over to gaze at all the lined-up DVD cases.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” he exclaimed. I let out a laugh.

“It’s overkill, right?” I replied. He vigorously shook his head.

“No, this is awesome!” Cain said. He started shuffling through all the DVD cases, trying to pick what he wanted to watch. I leaned on the back of one of the seats across from the shelf, watching patiently as he did so.

“Holy shit, you have Pacific Rim?!” he yelled out suddenly. I giggled.

“Yeah, I asked Elena to buy that and some others for me when they finally came out on DVD. She always does that for me.”

“So are all of these yours?” Cain asked, grabbing the DVD case and meandering over to me. I smiled.

“Yep. I love movies.” Cain chuckled.

“Well, I love that you love movies,” he replied as he wrapped his free arm around my waist.

“Good, I’m glad,” I muttered as I stared up into his eyes. Just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, I snatched the DVD case from him and escaped his embrace, skipping over to the media cabinet so we could watch it.

“Come on!” I beckoned to him. “Take a seat.” Sighing heavily, Cain obliged, and flopped onto the two-person reclining couch. After putting the DVD in, I turned the lights off and took my spot right next to Cain, who slunk his arm around my shoulders.

“So you really like this movie?” I asked him as the movie was starting. He smirked.

“Hell yes, have you seen the suits they wear in the robots? They’re sexy as hell.”

 

After the movie was over, I snuggled farther back against Cain and rested my head against his chest. I listened to the faint beating of his heart as I laced our fingers together. He nuzzled the top of my head and pulled me closer.

“Hey,” he whispered. I tilted my head back and looked up at him.

“What?” I asked. He grinned down at me.

“You said you could play the piano?” he asked. I nodded in response. “You should go play me a song.”

“If you insist, but we have to go upstairs,” I said and stood up from our place on the floor and tugged on his hand to pull him up. Once he was on his feet, I dragged him up the stairs to the main floor. Stopping in the doorway to the living room, Cain slowly let my hand slip out of his as I smiled back at him and shuffled to the large grand piano in the corner. I pulled out the bench and sat down on it as Cain took a spot on the couch nearby. After adjusting my posture, I lightly placed my fingers on the black and white keys and pressed one of the pedals down with my bare foot. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the keys and played one of my favorite pieces. As my fingers danced across the keyboard, I saw Cain stand up and walk over. I scooted over on the bench to make room for him to sit next to me. He watched me with hazy look and was silent when I finished playing.

“What song was that?” he asked after a moment.

“Just something I wrote in high school,” I said, pushing one of the white buttons down gently. He looked at me in awe.

“You _wrote_ that?” I nodded. “It was fucking beautiful…”

“Thank you,” I said with a laugh.

“You should teach me how to play something,” he said. I gave him an odd look.

“O-okay,” I said. I lifted my hand to the piano and pushed a key down. “Watch.” I played a very slow, simple version of ‘ _Mary Had a Little Lamb’_. After going through it three times, I gestured to the piano, signaling to Cain that it was his turn. He raised his hand and played the right rhythm, but missed over half the notes. I let out a loud laugh and covered my mouth with my hand in an attempt to stifle it. He turned and glared at me.

“Hey! It’s my first time! Don’t be so rough on me!” He said with a frown.

“Sorry! It was… It was just so…” I tried to find a word that wouldn’t offend him. He snickered.

“Horrific,” he said. I nodded.

“Yes. It was horrific,” I agreed. I giggled again, but quieted down quickly when I saw that he was just staring at me. “What?” I asked. Without responding, he tilted my chin up and pressed our lips together.

Closing my eyes, I melted into the kiss. With what seemed like no effort at all, he hoisted me up onto his lap, and trailed his kisses down from my mouth to my collarbone as he pulled at the collar of my t-shirt.

“Ahh…” I moaned as he sucked hard on the sensitive skin. Looking up at me, he slid his hand upwards to cup my cheek.

“You probably know this, but I have been wanting you ever since your parents left us in the house alone.” I chuckled softly and nuzzled my face into his hand.

“I figured.” I replied. Smirking, he sat up straight again and pulled me down into a more forceful kiss. I moaned, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt. As we continued to kiss and grab and caress each other, my mind proceeded to go blank. All I could think about was touching, feeling, and experiencing Cain.

After a minute or two, Cain pulled away from me so that he and I could both catch our breath, but not without maintaining some form of contact. He pressed his forehead to mine, and, pulling me forward by the hips, made it so that my torso was flush against his own. As he did this, though, I felt through my jeans that he and I were both extremely hard, and the friction between us was beginning to drive me crazy.

“Cain…” I whimpered as he rolled his hips slightly beneath me and slid his hands up underneath my shirt. “Please… I want you too.” He looked up at me and I knew he didn’t need any more permission than that.

In a sudden rush of movement, he lifted me off of his lap, stood up from the piano bench, and pulled me by the hand. With one more quick kiss, he lead me hurriedly up the stairs, nudged me into the bedroom, and closed the double doors behind us. Turning back to face me, he quickly slid off his shirt. I couldn’t help but stare in awe at his tanned skin and watch his muscles as he breathed heavily. The moment was brief, though, and in another second his arms were around me again.

“Since when…have you been so hot?” I muttered as he slid his hands down under the denim of my jeans. Cain laughed as he kissed my neck.

“Always,” he replied. “Glad you finally noticed.” I chuckled softly, then moaned suddenly when he rolled his hips against mine.

“Fuck…” I muttered at the friction between both of our clothed erections. Cain brought his face up so it was even with mine again, and I saw him smirk.

“Watch your language,” he mocked. I frowned in annoyance at him, but couldn’t come up with a smart response, so I simply silenced him by pressing my lips to his. With a muffled laugh, he grabbed me and lifted me up. Wrapping my legs around his hips and my arms around the back of his neck, I refused to break our kisses as he walked over to the foot of my bed. He gently tossed me down onto the soft duvet, and crawled onto it after me, a grin plastered on his face.

“What are you so smiley for?” I muttered to him. He chuckled.

“Why do you think, Princess?” he responded, crawling so that he was directly on top of me. “I’m glad that we finally get to have some real alone time.” I blushed and averted my gaze, but just ended up staring at his bare chest.

“I’m… nervous,” I replied truthfully. Cain snorted.

“I know, you’re shaking.” I gasped and looked at my hand; and sure enough, he was right. Cain laughed lightly.

“Don’t worry about it, Princess,” he whispered to me. “You just leave it to me.”

And just like that, when he leaned in again to kiss me, I immediately felt my worries diminish. I realized that thinking about it too much would only make the butterflies worse. I only needed to feel.

I suddenly gasped, though, when I felt Cain’s hands pulling up at my shirt. However, realizing what he was doing, I happily helped him, and only separated my lips from his when he had to pull my shirt over my shoulders and head. Once the garment was off, Cain smirked and tossed it off to god knows where, and slid his hands up my freshly-bared skin.

It felt strange, having his bare chest squared right up against mine, but not in the bad way. In fact, I loved it. He was warm, and every so often I could feel the muscles of his torso tense up against my stomach. And it felt heavenly when he trailed his hand down to massage my erection through the fabric of my jeans.

As a wave of pleasure ran through me, I moaned against his lips, which only encouraged him to rub it more. I didn’t just want him to touch me through the denim, though, and I slid my hand down to guide him towards the button of my pants. Thankfully, he got the hint, and expertly only had to use one hand to undo the button and zipper, and before I knew anything else, he had pulled down both my pants and boxers and tossed them aside as well.

It was in that moment, though, that I realized that I was fully naked in front of him. Not just shirtless and not just pantsless, but rather completely bare for him to see. I could feel my face heat up at the fact, and when Cain broke our kiss to sit upwards and gaze down at me, I had to look away from sheer embarrassment, earning a light laugh from him.

“Princess, you don’t need to be so nervous,” he said quietly. “Believe it or not, I know what a guy’s body looks like.” I frowned.

“Yeah, but… this is a first for me.” He chuckled.

“I know, I can tell.”

I was going to snap back at him, but before I could, he rose up and stood next to the bed, and in an instant he slid both his jeans and boxers off as well. I gasped, not only because I hadn’t been expecting him to take off his pants so suddenly, but because I hadn’t ever seen what he looked like beneath them. He smirked, looking down at me.

“Like what you see?” he asked in a cocky voice. I averted my gaze.

“No comment,” I replied simply. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing exactly how badly I wanted him. I already told him I thought he was hot, and that was definitely enough to feed his ego for the rest of the week.

Feeling him rejoin me on the mattress, he kissed my neck and brought a hand up to caress my nipple.

“Just relax,” he whispered into my ear.

I tried to reply, but instead moaned when he crawled on top of me again, and pressed our unclothed erections together.

“Ah, fuck!” I gasped as Cain wrapped his free hand around both of them and began stroking. He quickly silenced me though by forcing our lips together again, but I still couldn’t help but moan with my mouth against his.

I could tell by his staggered breathing, though, that he was finally getting enjoyment out of it too, which was a relief. I was literally hopeless with trying to do anything pleasurable for him, but as I heard him moan for the first time through our mess of kisses and panting, I made sure to take a mental note to try next time.

For the moment, though, I knew exactly what he and I both wanted, and, to be honest, I was getting somewhat impatient. Pulling my face away from his, I looked up into his eyes.

“Cain… I want you to…” I trailed off. He grinned.

“You want me to what?” he asked mischievously. I glared up at him.

“You fucking know what,” I retorted.

“I don’t think I do. You’re gonna have to tell me,” he muttered, leaning in close. I stared at him, unblinking.

“No way in hell.” He glowered back at me.

“Come on, Princess, I want you to tell me. Please?” As he said this, he started to pump even harder and quicker than he already was, and I inhaled sharply at the incredible feeling.

“Ahh… I…” I managed through my moans. “I want you… inside of me.” He grinned with victory.

“Well, if you insist,” he replied to me.

Leaning over me, he reached an arm over to the nightstand, opened the drawer there, and fished out a tiny bottle with blue print on it. It took me a moment to process what the substance was, until it dawned on me.

“Is that...lube?” I asked in surprise.

“Well it does say ‘Lubricant’ on the label, so yes,” Cain replied smartly. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“When did that get there?” I asked, gesturing to the bedside table. Cain stared straight-faced at me.

“I put it there,” he said bluntly. My jaw dropped a little.

“So you just _assumed_ we would be getting this far?” I asked in surprise. He shrugged.

“A guy can dream, can’t he?” he replied. I tried to keep a straight face, but I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that he had thought this through, and at least had the kindness to make sure it would be as painless for me as possible.

“You’re so dumb,” I muttered, pulling Cain back down on top of me to give him a quick kiss. Smirking, he sat back up again, and opened the tiny bottle of clear liquid.

Pouring a generous amount of it onto his hand, I gasped slightly when I felt him lathering it around my entrance.

“Shit, it’s cold!” I cursed, earning a light chuckle from him.

“Sorry.”

As he used one hand to loosen me up a bit (which was a very strange feeling), he used the other hand to pump my erection, causing me to moan softly.

“Ah… Cain, I…” I tried to speak through the waves of pleasure.

“What is it, Princess?” he asked, gazing down at me as I breathed unevenly.

“Please… be gentle.” At this remark, he grinned, and leaned forward to touch his forehead to mine.

“I will, at first.” I stared up at him.

“But later on…?”

“You’ll love it, I promise,” he replied simply before pressing our mouths together in another kiss.

Once he and I were both ready, he positioned himself to enter me, and looked into my eyes.

“Ready?” he asked. After a pause, I nodded, and holding my left thigh up with his hand, he used the other hand to try guiding his erection inside of me. It was such a foreign feeling to me, and I hissed slightly at the intrusion.

“Don’t tighten up, yet. You have to relax so I can get it in.” he instructed quietly. I took deep breaths.

“You expect me to _relax_ at a time like this?!” I exclaimed, causing him to let out a laugh.

“Yes, just for a moment,” he said.

Trying to heed his advice, I slowly breathed in and out, and relaxed every muscle in my body. In another moment, I felt a sharp pain, and, looking down between my legs, I quickly realized that he was almost completely inside me.

“Ahh, fuck!” I shouted. Cain, sighing with pleasure, rested his head on my chest for a moment.

“Damn,” he muttered against my skin.

_You got that right,_ I thought to myself as I clenched my hands at my pillow to help subside the discomfort. Pulling my hips up slightly as he got onto his knees, Cain smirked.

“Don’t worry, it gets better,” he said to me as he started thrusting slowly. I let out whimpers and gasps, praying that what he said was true. After a minute or so, though, I learned that if I continued to relax slightly, the pain would diminish. And, as Cain started to go faster, he hit somewhere inside me, and I suddenly gasped as another strange, but extremely pleasurable, feeling ran through me.

“Ah! Oh, fuck…” I moaned loudly. Cain smiled.

“Feel good?” he asked. I tried answering, but could only continue to moan and gasp as he proceeded to continuously hit the same spot inside of me. It felt like I was flying and drowning at the same time.

 As Cain thrusted, he leaned into the crook of my shoulder, and I could hear the sounds he made. It was a mixture of low grunts and moans and breaths, and it fit perfectly in combination with my own whimpers and gasps. I heard the bed creaking slightly as we rocked it, and I felt the continual pleasure I was getting with each thrust.

And that pleasure only increased when Cain slid his hand over to pump my erection in time with his thrusts. I was no longer whimpering quietly, but instead emitting loud moans, and rightly so; the sensation was unbelievable, feeling him slide in and out of me, and every so often flicking the pad of his thumb over the tip of my cock. I couldn’t help but be a mess in that moment. I loved it.

As Cain kept going deeper inside of me and pumping my erection, I could feel release coming on. It was a warmth deep in the pit of my stomach, and it only grew every time Cain sent another wave of pleasure coursing through me.

“Ah… I… Cain, I’m gonna…” I tried saying through my gasps and moans. Kissing my neck, Cain spoke up.

“I know, Princess,” he grunted. “Go ahead and come.”

That was all I needed. I felt the warmth travel down my abdomen, and my body went entirely numb with the feeling of release. I couldn’t even think properly as I rode it out. All I knew was that I was probably pretty loud, but it didn’t matter since we had the entire house to ourselves.

As I came, I could hear what I knew was the sound of Cain orgasming as well. He moaned into my ear, and I could tell he was grasping my pale thigh with enough force to leave a hand-shaped bruise there, but I didn’t care, since I was probably going to leave bruises on him as well.

After the feeling subsided, and I finally came back to earth, I opened my eyes to find Cain had already pulled out and was laying next to me, trying to catch his breath.

“Abel…” he muttered through his breathing. “...That was amazing.” I laughed softly.

“I didn’t even do any work, though…” Turning on his side, Cain looked directly at me.

“Doesn’t matter to me, it was your first time.” I shrugged in partial agreement. Cain smiled. “Besides, you can do more next time.” I blushed at the thought of us doing it again.

I closed my eyes and snuggled my head deeper into the pillow. Cain shifted beside me as he pulled the duvet over the both of us. I grinned slightly and laced our fingers together as he draped his other arm across my abdomen. Opening my eyes, I turned my head to catch him staring at me.

“What?” I asked quietly. He gave a small shrug and met my gaze with half-lidded eyes.

“Nothing…” he whispered in response. I snorted.

“You’re weird.” He chuckled softly.

“What I was going to say was that you’re so...” he trailed off and closed his eyes. I frowned a bit.

“I’m so what?” Looking back up at me, he grinned.

“Beautiful…” My jaw dropped slightly and I felt a blush quickly rise to my cheeks. I let go of his hand and rolled over onto my side to face him. I cuddled up close to him and buried my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled the top of my head. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.

“You really think so?” I asked. I felt him nod and a wide smile spread across my face.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said, pulling away to look at him. He smiled and pressed his lips against mine in an innocent kiss. I pulled back and pressed my forehead against his, brushing our noses together. He stared me in the eyes for a few moments before pulling me against his chest and nuzzling my hair. I giggled slightly and wrapped my right arm around his torso, keeping the left folded between us, and burying my face in his chest again.

It was chilly in the room, but not cold enough to warrant cocooning oneself in a blanket. Had I been alone, I would have definitely pulled the duvet up further, but being entangled in Cain’s arms, I was completely content. He gently caressed my shoulder and I felt small goosebumps form where his thumb had passed over. My left hand was splayed across his chest, and, every once in a while, I would slide it across his skin. It was rather comfortable and, if I must admit, almost as intimate as the sex itself.

I was just about to drift off when I heard the soft click of the doorknob. Cain sat up abruptly and looked at me in horror. I rolled over and saw Elena standing in the doorway with a basket of clean laundry, a shocked expression on her face. There was an awkward pause before she managed to speak.

“Oh…. Well, uhm. I’m just going to leave this over here and you can put them away when you get the chance,” she said, setting the hamper down next to the dresser. Without another word, she left the room, closing the door behind her. Looking up at Cain, I laughed at the expression of pure fear on his face.

“Don’t worry!” I said in an attempt to reassure him. “She won’t tell, I promise.” He closed his mouth and laid back down next to me.

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“She knows all my secrets,” I responded. I could tell from the amused look on his face that I had peaked his interest.

“How many secrets could a sheltered kid like you have?” he asked. I smirked and leaned in close, brushing our noses together.

“Lots,” I whispered. I pulled back quickly and threw the covers off of me. I climbed off the bed and went in search of the clothing that had been strewn across the room. I shivered as I picked up my shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. Looking around, I spotted my pants laying on the other side of the room. I let out a sigh and walked over to pick them up also. After pulling them on, I turned to see Cain dressing on the other side of the room. Quietly, I walked up behind him and grabbed his ribs. He let out a loud yelp and jumped in surprise.

“Don’t do that! It tickles!” He said, glaring at me. I let out a loud laugh.

“You’re ticklish?” I asked in disbelief. He scoffed.

“Very. I also get rather violent when tickled, so I wouldn’t do it if I were you,” he advised. I smirked up at him as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“So… What do you want to do now?” I asked as I walked over to the door. He shrugged.

“Thought maybe you would think of something,” he said. I stopped and stood  for a moment with my hand on the doorknob. After a few seconds, I perked up.

“Let’s go back downstairs and play video games,” I said with a big grin. He snorted.

“What do you suggest we play?” I opened the door and walked out it.

“We could play Call of Duty,” I suggested as we thudded down the stairs. He chuckled.

“Well, if you insist. Fair warning, though, I’m going to kick your ass,” he responded. I smirked.

“That’s okay, I will get enough enjoyment out of it by making you play as the Russians.” He scoffed.

“I’m pretty sure that’s racist.”


	8. Cain

**Chapter 8**

**Cain**

 

For some reason, the rest of Thanksgiving break passed by in a blur. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I had managed to secretly spike every drink Abel and I had at Thanksgiving dinner with vodka, maybe it was because I was actually having a lot of fun with him, or maybe it all boiled down to the fact that every time Abel was around me, my heart couldn’t stop racing.

But, whatever the reason might have been, it seemed like too short of a time had passed, and I was suddenly back in my dorm room, hunched over my desk, reading through a chapter of my chem textbook and taking notes.

It was the week before Dead Week, also known as Hell Week. Everyone was trying desperately to get their grades up one last time in hopes that when they inevitably fail the final exam, it won’t hurt as badly. Even though the 23/7 quiet hours hadn’t started, it was still virtually silent in the dorm halls. To be frank, the constant quiet irked me. However, deep down, I knew that I needed to study if I wanted to get at least a B in all of my classes.

Not soon after I snapped the book closed in aggravation from studying so long, my phone buzzed on the desk. Glancing at the caller ID, I smirked and flipped open the device.

“Yes, Princess?” I asked. There was a heavy sigh on the other end.

“Are you busy, Cain?” Abel responded.

“Nope,” I lied, glaring at my chemistry notes as if they could bite me at any moment.

“Do you want to do me a favor?”

“Depends on what kind of favor,” I said, smirking to myself.

“Let’s go somewhere.”

“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Where?”

“I don’t care, anywhere. I just need to get away from all this studying.” I chuckled.

“You and me both!”

“Great. Where do you want to meet?” he asked with enthusiasm.

I thought for a moment, and, glancing over at a tiny little box on the corner of my desk, an idea popped into my head.

“I will pick you up at Beta Omega, so just be ready when I get there,” I said as I stood up and grabbed my leather jacket.

“Oh, okay!” Abel said on the other end. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“You bet your sweet ass I do,” I replied, slipping the tiny box into my pocket. After hanging up the phone and stowing it in my pocket as well, I snatched up a set of keys off the desk. I locked my door and slipped on a pair of sunglasses as I walked down the hallway.

 

It wasn’t long before I found myself outside the familiar facade of the Beta Omega house, waiting for Abel to come outside and meet me. And sure enough, it took only a minute or two before I saw his head of light hair peek out from the front door. The look on his face when he saw me, though, was priceless.

For the first time in weeks, I had decided to take out my motorcycle. Usually it was parked over in the student parking lot, but the place we were going was a little far away, and to be honest I just wanted to see him actually ride the thing and live a little for once. I couldn’t help but grin at the thought as he bounded down to the sidewalk and gawk at my wheels.

“You have a motorcycle?!” he exclaimed, causing me to burst out laughing.

“Surprised?” I asked. He was silent, keeping his eyes locked on the bike.

“Would you believe me if I said that I wasn’t?” he asked, finally, with a chuckle.

“Nope,” I said before gesturing for him to climb on behind me.

He gulped before swinging one leg over the bike. After a few seconds, I looked over my shoulder to see that he had positioned himself nearly a foot behind me on the seat. I gave him a smirk and grabbed his knees, yanking him forward. Looking back at him again, I saw a blush rise to his cheeks.

“Hold on tight, Princess,” I said with a wink. Turning back around and placing my palms on the handlebars, it wasn’t long before I felt his arms slowly snake around my waist. I smiled and twisted the handle of the bike, revving the engine. Abel tensed up slightly when I nudged the kickstand up with my heel and steered us out into the street.

As we hit the highway, I accelerated, speeding, but far less than I usually do, since I didn’t want to scare him _too_ much on his first motorcycle ride. The air was chilly, but the temperature intensified as it ran through my hair. I missed the thrill that came with the speed. Though, as badly as I longed to be reckless, the warm body pressed against my back reminded me not to.

After about a half-hour of the wind in my hair and Abel clinging to me for dear life, I pulled off the highway and onto a narrow, winding side road. As I slowed down considerably, Abel finally unburied his face from behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. I slowed to a stop in a parking lot next to a small picnic area and turned the key, shutting the engine off. I climbed off the bike shortly after Abel and led him over to the table sitting on a concrete slab sheltered by a roof. Stepping up onto the bench, I turned around and sat on the wooden table top. Abel walked up and stood in front of me, placing both hands on my knees.

“So why did you bring me all the way out here?” he asked, smiling up at me.

“You said you wanted to get away from the studying,” I said, shrugging. “Besides, I think you’ll like the view better when the sun finally goes down.”

“Oh really?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and stepping closer. He moved his hands to intertwine his fingers at the base of my neck. I could tell that his inner tease was beginning to show, and I couldn’t be more proud.

“Really,” I said, smirking. I waited silently for him to make his next move. He was finally getting used to me and I was eager to see just how far he would go on his own. His eyes darted downward before quickly returning to mine.

“I guess I’ll just have to trust you,” he said with a soft sigh. He dropped his hands down to his sides and sat down on the bench between my feet and rested his head against my knee.

“Bored already?” I asked, reaching out to run my fingers through his hair.

“Stressed as hell,” he said, shaking his head. I nudged his shoulder with my leg, urging him to face me.

“I know, Princess,” I said softly, “Me too.” He looked up at me and smiled slightly and rested his elbow on my thigh. As he gazed at me, a slight look of want slowly rose in his eyes. I knew he would be too shy to make a move, like he usually was, and felt the slight need to just go for it myself. As I leaned in closer, though, I suddenly remembered one of the main reasons I had driven us all the way out here. I quickly pulled back, causing Abel to give me a confused expression.

“What are you doing?” Abel asked as I rummaged something out of my jacket pocket.

“We’re gonna take a break,” I replied simply. Abel’s eyes widened.

“A break? Did I do something wrong? I didn’t even know we were necessarily _dating!_ Was it something I said?” I snorted with laughter, realizing that he had misunderstood me.

“Not that kind of break, doofus. I meant a break from the studying and shit.” At this, Abel sighed with relief, placing his hand over his chest.

“Oh, I see, good. You freaked me out there…”

Smirking, I finally got ahold of the tiny box in my pocket. Pulling it out, Abel stared at the object quizzically. It was about the size of a deck of cards, but a bit thicker, and was made out of black leather.

“What’s that?” he asked, leaning in closer to peer at it.

“It’s a cigarette box. It’s a fancy one, rather than the disposable ones that the cigarettes normally come in,” I explained to him.

“Oh, you need to smoke?” he asked. I smirked.

“Well actually, I was hoping both of us could.” At this remark, Abel’s eyes widened.

“Oh, um, I’m not really into cigarettes. They’re really bad for you… Not that I don’t mind you smoking them! It’s your own choice! I just, personally, don’t really…”

He was ranting again. I sighed, knowing that he did this sometimes when he got nervous. Ignoring his words, I simply silenced him with a kiss.

After a brief moment, I pulled back, and stared straight into his eyes with a smirk.

“The thing is, though, I don’t have cigarettes in here.” Abel raised an eyebrow in confusion, but looked a bit relieved at the same time.

“Oh, okay. Then what do you have?”

Trying not to smile too much, I opened up the box, and took out a bit of rolled-up paper. I looked over towards Abel again, to see if maybe he knew what it was. And, based on the look on his face, I knew immediately that he, indeed, did.

“Is that… a joint?” he exclaimed. I laughed loudly as he quickly turned his head left and right to make sure that nobody else was around. It was apparent that he was nervous being around something illegal. Placing my free hand on his shoulder, I leaned in and spoke with a hushed voice.

“Princess, calm yourself. I already checked, and there’s no one else here but us. You saw for yourself, right? There were no parked cars or anything.” Taking a deep breath, Abel nodded, and glanced back nervously at the joint between my fingers.

“So… you want me to smoke marijuana with you?” he asked softly.

“If you are up for it, yeah,” I replied. “You know it’s--”

“Not addictive. Of course I do,” he responded simply before I could finish. “Actually, marijuana could in fact be a good substitute for regular cigarettes, but it’s still illegal simply because the government would have such a hard time taxing and regulating it, what with all the illegal activity that has sprung up over the years. It doesn’t cause any form of cancer, unlike tobacco, and has actually been discovered to have extreme curative uses. It can treat some cases of epilepsy, headaches, cramps, anorexia, and depression. The only main argument that has been put against it is that many traditionalists label it as a ‘gateway drug’, insinuating that the usage of marijuana will lead to experimentation with other, more dangerous, drugs. Other than that very shaky point, though, there’s really nothing wrong with it.”

After he was done talking, I simply stared at him, joint in hand, with wide eyes.

“Damn, Princess, you really _are_ a nerd,” I muttered with a laugh.

“I was in debate in high school, and this was one of the topics I argued,” he replied simply while smiling.

“So… can I take that as a ‘yes’ then?” I asked him, holding up the joint. After a moment of contemplation, Abel gazed up at me and nodded.

“If it’ll take my mind off of studying for even a little bit, then yes. Definitely.”

I grinned, thankful that he didn’t completely dismiss the idea. Honestly, I had figured it could have gone either way, but Abel still did not cease to surprise me.

“Alright,” I replied happily, sliding my brand-new lighter out of my pocket. “Since you are doing this for the first time, I’ll let you go first.”

“Alright…” he muttered, still obviously a bit anxious. But despite this, he accepted the joint when I handed it to him, put it up to his mouth, and lit up the other end.

“Now don’t let it completely catch on fire,” I advised, leaning in so I could help him. “There. Now inhale.”

Doing as he was told, he sucked in the smoke, but quit abruptly when he began a short fit of coughing.

“Is… this supposed to… happen?” he said as the coughing subsided. I chuckled.

“Since it’s your first time, yes. It will also happen if you take too big of a hit, unfortunately. But, on a better note, it supposedly gets you higher faster.”

“How high will we get from just one joint?” he asked as he handed it to me, his coughing finally calmed.

“Hard to say. I haven’t smoked weed for at least a month now, I think, and when you’re doing it for the first time it’s even harder to predict. You could get really really really high, or you could not feel anything at all. That’s just how it goes.” After I finished my explanation, I took my hit, then quickly handed it back to Abel.

For a few minutes, we continued to pass it back and forth, and I could definitely start feeling the effects. I was feeling weightless, my eyelids felt heavy, and I couldn’t stop smiling. Now, whether the last bit was due to the weed or just because I was sitting alone next to Abel, I couldn’t be exactly sure of, but it didn’t really matter to me. I was just glad I could do this with Abel. The only other people I had smoked with weren’t nearly as pure or kind-hearted as Abel was, and frankly it was a breath of fresh air. Abel himself was a breath of fresh air.

After we finished two joints, I knew that we were good. Abel had already started staring off into space, and every muscle in my body was completely relaxed. Slowly, I reached out a hand and ran my fingers through his soft, blond hair. A smile spread across my face as he leaned into my touch. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“How’re you feelin’, Princess?” I asked.

“Good,” he said, leaning back to smile up at me. “How long are we gonna stay here?”

“I dunno,” I answered him.

Looking around, I noticed that the sun had almost completely disappeared over the horizon and the sky above us was getting darker by the minute. I turned back to Abel and nudged him to stand up. He swayed a bit as he got to his feet, but grabbed my shoulder to catch his balance. I snaked an arm around his waist and led him down the wooden stairs to the beach below. As my feet hit the hardened sand, the last of the sunlight disappeared. I sat down on the ground and tugged Abel’s hand. He sat next to me and immediately leaned back and laid down. I looked at him and shook my head. With a chuckle, I laid next to him and put an arm behind my head. We sat there in silence, both staring up at the night sky.

“Cain?” Abel asked without averting his gaze.

“Yeah?”

“There are a lot of stars,” he said, a dumbfounded tone to his voice.

“Yes. Yes there are,” I snorted.

“No. Like. _So many stars._ ” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You’re high, Princess.”

“So? I can’t just appreciate the beauty of space?”

“I bet it seems _really_ beautiful right now though, am I right?” He was silent before answering.

“...Yeah,” he muttered. Sitting back up, he looked down at me with a smile, his cheeks dusted a shade of pink, only slightly visible in the twilight. “Maybe it’s also because I’m here with you, though.”

Caught off-guard, I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to be so forward like that. But perhaps it was because the drugs that were making him more confident. I gave a small grin.

“Are you flirting with me?” I asked him. He shifted his eyes to look at anything else that wasn’t me.

“Maybe… I mean, how else would I let you know how much I want to kiss you right now…?”

Smirking, I followed suit and sat up so our eye level was even, and stared directly at him. I lifted a hand up to touch his cheek as I spoke.

“That’s true. I’m glad that you’re starting to get more nerve…” I muttered as I leaned my face in closer. “...I like that about you.”

Before Abel could reply, I closed the gap between us and pressed our lips together. At first, we kissed softly, simply enjoying the feeling of closeness and warmth. I slid a hand up Abel’s clothed thigh, while the hand that had previously been caressing his face was now tangled in the short blonde hairs at the base of his neck.

As we continued to move our lips against each other, though, the kisses grew more and more hungry, and I could feel Abel’s grip on my shoulders grow stronger. Taking this as a sign that he wanted more, I grabbed his right leg and pulled it over to rest on the other side of me, so that Abel was now straddling me, his knees digging into the cooling sand.

“Mmm…” he moaned into our kisses. He gracefully slid his arms around my neck, resting them on my shoulders, and didn’t hesitate to roll his hips on my lap, now that our groins were so close.

“Fuck…” I muttered, pulling away only by an inch to catch my breath.

“Cain…” Abel whispered to me.

“What is it?”

“I’m cold.”

Staring at him for a moment, I couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, obviously confused about what was so funny.

“Why are you laughing?” he asked with a pouty face.

“Here I am, getting hard and thinking that you were gonna say something dirty, and instead you say you’re fucking cold.” Showing that he finally understood, he laughed too.

“Sorry…but it’s true! It _is_ December after all… it feels like it’s close to freezing out here now. Ugh, I hate winter…” he said with a sigh. Still sitting, I rested my hands on his hips.

“Do you wanna head back?” I asked, pressing our foreheads together. He nodded slightly before climbing off my lap. He held out a hand and pulled me to my feet. We were quiet as we climbed the stairs back up to the parking lot and were almost back to the bike before he spoke up again.

“So… You’ve got legs, right?” he asked.

“I’m walking on them, so yeah,” I said with a snort.

“Yeah, so… that means you can dance, too, right?”

“Where are you going with this, Abel?” I asked, swinging my leg over the bike. He sighed heavily and climbed on after me.

“Do you want to go to that Greek winter thing with me?”

“The Winter Formal?” I asked, turning to look at him. He nodded.

“If you don’t want to, I understand. I mean, I just figured I’d ask, but you don’t have to--”

“Abel,” I said, cutting him off.

“Yeah?”

“It’s a date,” I replied bluntly before revving the engine to life.

 


	9. Abel

**Chapter 9**

**Abel**

 

“Abel, can you help me tie this?” Ethos asked as I walked back into our room, shutting the door behind me. I laughed and walked up to him. He sighed and handed me the ends of the tie.

“I still can’t believe that you can’t tie a tie. Especially after all of the formals and chapter meetings we’ve had to go to over the past two years,” I said, flipping the ends over each other before tightening it up to his neck.

Dead week was just around the corner, and since this weekend was the last time that clubs and organizations could hold events and meetings before the hectic schedule of finals dawned and winter break began, tonight was the night of the Greek Winter Formal. In a way, the formal was the last big official hurrah before we all crawled into our dorm rooms to study and cry for the next two weeks.

“I know, I know. I just can’t get the hang of it!” Ethos exclaimed, walking back over to the mirror to check himself out and make sure the tie looked relatively symmetrical. He huffed and turned back to me. “Do I look okay?”

“You look fine, Ethos,” I said, standing next to him so that I could fix my own tie.

“I just… I’m nervous, y’know?” he said, scrunching up his face. I finished and turned to face him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sure Praxis will think you look fine, too,” I said with a smile. He just blushed and turned to grab his jacket off the back of his desk chair.

“Are you nervous?” he asked. I shrugged and ran a hand through my hair, attempting to tame the blond mess.

“Not really,” I said. Ethos frowned and gave me a look. I sighed. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“I don’t even know why I am, though,” Ethos said with a groan as he flopped into the chair and spun around. “Praxis is really nice and hasn’t been anything short of sweet since we started hanging out. He’s really gentle and really caring, y’know?”

I snorted, but covered it up with a laugh. The only time I had ever interacted with Praxis was when he walked in on Cain and I. My face flushed at the thought. Truth be told, it was pretty plain to see that Ethos’ and my relationships were very different. Cain could be sweet, sometimes, but in his own way; a way that by most standards probably couldn’t be considered sweet at all. But it didn’t matter to me what others thought. Not for the most part, anyways...

“I understand what you mean,” I replied to Ethos as I sat down in my own chair and propped my feet up on the desk. I grabbed a rubber band ball from beside my pencil holder and tossed it at the wall, catching it as it bounced back.

“Is Cain anything like that? Caring and stuff, I mean,” he asked. I furrowed my eyebrows and continued to play catch with myself.

“He’s…” I trailed off, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know. He’s definitely gotten nicer since the first time I met him.”

“That’s good,” he said. “I remember the first time you mentioned him to me! You were so appalled at the way he talked to the dean!” He and I both laughed at the memory, and then we were both quiet for a while, me tossing the ball against the wall, Ethos spinning in his chair. Stopping to look at me directly, he finally spoke up again. “Have you had sex?”

I almost choked on my own saliva.

“Ethos!” I exclaimed, dropping the bouncy ball, and nearly falling out of my chair. I stared at him open mouthed with wide eyes.

“What?!” he said, smiling at me.

“I can’t believe you just asked me that! If you haven’t noticed… sex is a very personal thing.”

“Well,” he said, holding up his hands in defense. “You’re my best friend, and I feel like we don’t talk much about things anymore. I rarely ever even see you because you spend so much time with him!” I sighed, rubbing my temples.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “We should definitely have dinner before break and catch up on things.”

“Definitely,” he agreed with a nod. “So…”

“So…?” I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Have you?” he pressed. I closed my mouth and turned away from him, a blush rising to my cheeks. I was about to respond, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“It’s open!” I shouted. The doorknob clicked and the door swung open revealing an extremely frustrated Cain. “What--”

“I can’t fucking tie this stupid thing,” he snapped, tossing a strip of cloth to me. I looked at it and chuckled before standing up and facing him.

“Trying to be extra classy are we?” I asked, popping his collar and wrapping the bowtie around the back of his neck so that I could tie it off.

"I don't own an actual tie, so I figured why the fuck not,” he said. I giggled quietly as I folded the bowtie. I bit my lip out of frustration and undid what I had done.

"What?" he asked, looking down at me. "Did you forget how to do this?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "It was crooked."

"You're such a perfectionist," He said with a snort.

"I just want you to look your best!" I said.

"I always look my best," he retorted, placing his hands on my hips. I twisted the finished bowtie to straighten it one last time before snaking my arms around his neck.

“Yeah, but you look better like this."

"You can't improve upon perfection, Princess," he said, smirking down at me.

"You are so cocky," I said, grinning and standing on my tiptoes to press our lips together, silencing him before he could make a sassy response. I pulled back shortly after when I heard a knock at the door.

"Knock, knock!" Praxis announced as he walked in. Ethos jumped to his feet and flung his arms around the taller man's neck, pressing a kiss to the side of his face.

“What took you so long, Praxis?” spoke Cain as he hooked his arm around my waist. “You left before me, didn’t you?” At the mention, Praxis laughed and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, that’s because I had to pick up something…” he muttered, suddenly pulling out a little clear plastic container out of the pocket of his blazer.

As Praxis held it out for Ethos to see, I could easily make out that it was a small red rose, cut just short enough to that it could fit in its box. I could hear Ethos gasp a little at the sight of it.

“For me?” he asked disbelievingly. Praxis smiled and nodded, opening up the box to take out the small flower.

“It’s kind of old-fashioned, but I wanted to get you it to wear on your lapel,” he explained. “Here, let me pin it on for you.”

Excitedly, Ethos slid on his black blazer, and Praxis had to lean forward quite a bit so his head was nearly level with Ethos’ chest. After attaching the boutonniere, though, he stood back up to his original height, and gazed at Ethos longingly. Ethos was blushing furiously. The way Praxis looked at him almost made me blush as well. It made me wonder if Cain ever looked at me like that. Maybe when I wasn’t looking?

My thoughts were suddenly pushed from my mind, though, when I felt Cain’s calloused hand take hold of mine.

“So are we ready to go?” he asked me. I nodded and checked myself one last time in the mirror before heading out with Cain, Praxis, and Ethos.

The entirety of Greekland was in a tizzy. Countless students were filing themselves down the streets, making their way over to the Union, where the dance would be held. Along with offices, the school store, a cafeteria, and many other services, the Union also had a large ballroom for occasions such as this one.

Upon seeing just how many people were going to be there, a thought suddenly popped into my head, and I felt my stomach flip. I tightened my grip on Cain’s hand.

“Something wrong, Princess?” he asked, looking over to me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him here, but Praxis and Ethos were already quite a ways ahead of us, and I figured Cain would want to know.

“I’m just… nervous of what might happen when people see us together,” I confessed. To my surprise, Cain responded with a snort.

“Who even cares about other people? They all can mind their own damn business,” he replied bluntly. I sighed, wishing that it was only so simple as that.

“Yeah, but you must have people who aren’t that fond of you, right?” Cain raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you insinuating something?” he asked, sounding a bit insulted. I smiled and shook my head.

“No, I just mean that if those people knew certain things about you, they might try to use them against you, right?”

By this time, we had made it to the outside of the Union, and Cain stopped me just before we were about to make our way up the steps into the large building. Still holding my hand, he led me beneath a small tree, out of the way of the people who were making their way inside.

“Princess,” he said, pulling me so that our bodies were flush against one another, “if you are worried about some douchebags who might call us faggots or some shit, don’t be. Because if any asshole says anything like that while I am in earshot, I will not hesitate to slug him right in his ugly fucking face.”

Once Cain was done speaking, I had to stifle a laugh. Scoffing, he demanded to know what was so funny. I waved it off with one hand.

“It’s nothing, really!” I replied, my giggles beginning to subside. “You just can’t help but use such filthy language, can you?” At this remark, Cain’s expression turned mischievous. He leaned his face in towards mine, and whispered into my ear.

“Oh, Princess. I’m going to show you just how dirty my mouth can get.”

Immediately, I could feel my cheeks heat up. One could only imagine what Cain was planning. A shiver ran up my spine.

“J-just… we should go inside already,” I sputtered, pulling Cain back into the crowd by his hand. He merely laughed in response.

 

* * *

 

After finally making it through the throng of people who were outside the ballroom, Cain and I found ourselves surrounded by even more when we entered the actual dance. At the center of the large hall, a swarm of students were all dancing close to one another, either with a partner, or in groups. The music was booming loudly, so much so that I could feel every beat in my ribcage. I certainly hoped it wouldn’t be this kind of music the entire night, because I couldn’t really imagine that Cain would ever dance to this sort of thing.

Luckily, though, there were plenty of non-dancers meandering around the edges of the ballroom as well, and I quickly spotted Ethos and Praxis amongst them, over by the refreshments table.

Pointing them out to Cain, he and I both made our way over to our roommates. I struck up conversation with Praxis as Cain poured us drinks. Shortly after he handed me mine, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Logos standing behind us, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Alright, boys, I came to get drunk and steal your dates! They confiscated my vodka at the door, so come dance with me!" he said excitedly and grabbed my hand.

Before Cain could protest otherwise, I handed my drink back to him and followed Logos onto the dance floor. It wasn't long before we were joined by our friends. After a couple of upbeat songs, they started playing a slower one.

"Hate to dance and ditch, Abel, but your boyfriend looks ready to kill," Logos said with a smile before disappearing into the crowd to find another dance partner.

Not seconds later, Cain had stepped in front of me and pulled my body flush against his. Without a word, he placed one hand on my waist and took one of mine with the other. As he moved our bodies in time with the music, I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.

It was wonderful, being so close to Cain. Sure, I had been this close before, but the fact that all I had to do was lean on him and sway back and forth to the music was relieving. So many things seemed just so simple when it came to being around him. As we danced, I ended up listening more to the beat of his heart than to the actual music. My thoughts dissipated quickly, though, when I felt Cain lean his face down towards mine.

"Abel," he whispered, lips brushing against my ear.

"Hmm?"

"Come with me," he said, tugging my hand and leading me off the dance floor.

I was a bit disheartened to leave our peaceful bubble, but at the same time I also was curious about where he was planning to go. Most of the rest of the building was probably closed by now, considering that it was almost eleven at night. Despite this, though, I followed without struggle.

He led me down a long hallway that housed conference rooms and various faculty offices. As we walked down the hall, I watched with an amused look as he attempted to open several doors, all of which turned out to be locked. Finally, however, he found one that was unlocked and opened it. After checking to see if anyone was in the room, he pulled me inside and shut the door behind us before clicking the lock.

The office was small, only enough room for the desk, the two chairs that sat in front of it, and enough room to walk between them. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and on the wall opposite the door, there was a large window that looked out over the courtyard of the Union. The blinds were closed just enough that we could see out, but you couldn’t see in unless you walked right up to the window. As I looked around, Cain moved to stand in front of me. He inched closer and I stepped backward, stopping when my back hit the door.

“Y’know, Princess,” he said, placing his forearm above my head and staring down at me, “I don’t think you understand how hot you are.”

“I…” I trailed off, a blush rising to my cheeks.

“You drive me fucking crazy,” he said with a smirk.

“What are you trying to say?" I asked, biting my lower lip and gazing up at him. I watched as the look in his eyes went from playful to burning with lust.

“Abel...” He chuckled before continuing in a smooth voice, “...I’m going to fuck you ‘til you scream.”

My eyes widened at the comment. Without another word, he clenched his fingers around my tie and pulled me forward into a bruising kiss. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment, but it wasn’t long before the agitation disappeared, and was instead replaced with newfound passion as he continued to kiss me roughly.

Probably noticing my sudden participation in our kisses, Cain let out a satisfied groan and grabbed onto the backs of my legs, lifting them up so that they rested around his waist. He did all this without separating our mouths.

Using the new angle to create friction between our growing erections, Cain slid his rough hands down to cradle my ass, holding me in place while he moved his kisses down past my jaw.

“Cain… what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?” I muttered, grabbing at the soft hair at the base of his neck.

“Ugh… you in a tux,” he confessed quietly, his hot breath on my neck. I blushed, unsure of how just wearing a tux could get him like this.

“You’re weird…” I muttered in reply. At this, Cain shot his head back up to look me directly in the eyes.

“You think that me wanting to wreck you and your nice tux is weird? I care to disagree,” he said in a low voice. “You're so beautiful, it just makes me want to rip all your clothes off, leave as many bruises and hickies as possible, and hear your screams as I take you on that desk over there.”

My jaw dropped. Did I really just hear him correctly? Was this what he was actually thinking? My mind was a blank. I had no idea how to respond to what he just said…

Or maybe I did?

Without saying another word, I pulled him in and kissed him even more roughly, bruising my lips in the process. I didn’t care, though. I simply wanted him to do all the things that he had just listed. I wanted him to take me. After all, we were in a dark, locked office, in a part of the building that was completely deserted, the booming sounds of the dance were bound to cover up any noise that we made, and we haven’t had the chance to have sex since we got back from Thanksgiving break. It had definitely crossed my mind that Cain might be sexually frustrated, considering the kind of guy he was, but I had never in my wildest imagination thought that he would be like this. It was absolutely fantastic.

Trailing his mouth back down the other side of my neck to lick and suck near my Adam’s apple, I heard Cain growl.

“Fucking tie…” he cursed, trying to pull the collar of my dress shirt down more so he could get better access. After a few tries, though, he simply decided to take the easier route. Loosening my tie, he undid the first three buttons of my shirt and happily went right back to sucking and leaving marks on my collarbone.

After a few moments of this, Cain retracted from me, stepping backwards so that he leaned on one of the bookshelves. He still had the end of my tie in hand, however, and forcibly pulled me towards him with it, causing me to trip a little. But, through fast acting, Cain placed himself so that as I was pulled, my lips ended up planted right on his again.

“It’s hot in here…” he muttered after we broke away. Sliding his hands up my torso and underneath my blazer, he expertly slid it off of me and tossed it to rest on one of the chairs on the other side of the room.

“I think I know how to fix that…” I muttered in reply before pressing our lips together again. As I slid my tongue into Cain’s mouth, I glided my hands up to his bowtie and undid it, letting the ends of the fabric hang on either side of his neck. I helped him shed his own jacket before undoing the buttons of his shirt.

“Come on, Abel…” Cain groaned, probably because I was going much more slowly than he had. “I want to fuck you so bad…” he whispered into my ear. I blushed furiously, but managed to form a response.

“Just… one second,” I murmured to him. “...I want to try something.”

Cain raised an eyebrow in confusion, but didn’t protest when I gave him one last peck on the lips before trailing my hands down to unbutton his dress pants.

Pressing my head against his chest out of slight embarrassment, I pulled down the zipper. With one shaky hand, I slid underneath the fabric of his underwear and pulled out his half-standing erection. My breathing was uneven, but I tried my best to concentrate as I gripped the shaft tightly and started to pump it slowly.

Hearing Cain’s breath hitch a little when I started pleasuring him gave me more motivation. It only took a few more moments of me sliding my hand up and down on him before he was fully hard, a bit of precum beginning to seep out of the tip. Cain groaned, gripping the fabric of the front of my shirt.

“Abel, let’s just fucking--”

“Hold on, I’m trying to concentrate!” I interrupted before he could finish his sentence. I knew all too well that he wanted to go further, and I did too, but first, I wanted to give him sole pleasure. Taking in a deep breath, I got down onto my knees so that I was level with Cain’s hips.

Finally realizing what I was planning, Cain sucked in his breath and stared down at me.

“Abel, are you sure you want to--”

Before he could finish the sentence, though, I wrapped my mouth around the tip, sheathing as much of the shaft in my mouth as I could take. Immediately, I could hear Cain moan at the sudden heat. I mentally patted myself on the back, thankful that I was able to give him nearly as much pleasure as he gave me.

Finally taking the plunge, I licked and sucked and kissed his length with vigor. It was a good thing he had done this to me other times before, so I sort of already knew what to do. In addition, every moan he made helped me to figure out what he liked and didn’t like, and soon enough, he was tangling his fingers in my hair and begging.

“Abel, please, I’m gonna cum…” he pleaded down to me. “I need you so bad…”

Kissing his erection one last time, I finally pulled back and stood up again to look Cain straight in the eyes.

“Then take me,” I commanded him.

Grinning, Cain stepped forward, and in one swift motion he had me laying on my back on the desk, knocking several pencils and a few papers to the floor in the process.

“About fucking time,” Cain replied as he undid the buttons and zipper of my pants at an ungodly fast speed.

Before I even had time to respond, my pants and underwear were pulled down my legs to hang off of one ankle. I gasped at the sudden cold on my nether regions.

“Ah-- fuck!” I cursed. Smirking, Cain placed himself directly between my spread legs, and lifted me up by my tie to plant a kiss on my swollen lips.

“I’m so fucking excited, you have no idea,” he whispered to me as he used one hand to slide into his pocket, obviously searching for something.

I was about to ask what he was looking for, but my question was answered when he pulled out a tiny, travel-sized bottle of lube. I gazed up at him, eyebrows raised.

“Predicting the future _again,_ are you?” I commented, earning a chuckle from him.

“All part of my master plan, yes,” he replied confidently, flipping the cap of the bottle open.

“Is that what you do in your free time now? Plan out creative ways and places to fuck me?” I asked with a lowered voice.

“Would you be shocked if I said I did and already have a rather long list?”

“No,” I replied. “I think it’s fantastic.”

With a smile, Cain pressed his lips to mine, and without breaking the contact, he coated his fingers with the lube and proceeded to stretch me out, pumping my erection at the same time.

“Ngh…” I groaned, still not completely used to the feeling of someone else's fingers inside of me. Cain knew exactly what he was doing, though, and easily stretched my entrance enough to fit in a second finger.

“Ahh!” I moaned suddenly, as he managed to hit the really good spot with just his fingers.

“Yeah…” he whispered into my ear. “I love it when you moan like that… your voice is so sexy.” I tried to even out my breathing, without much luck.

“Cain, please… get inside me,” I pleaded. Giving a soft chuckle, he nodded, and pulled out his fingers.

After quickly coating his cock with the slippery substance, he positioned himself at my entrance, and pulled at my tie while he slowly slid inside. I was gasping for air, gripping the edges of the desk tightly as I tried to relax myself enough for him to completely enter me.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” I swore, which I assumed was probably amusing for Cain to hear. It had taken me awhile to realize just how much he was changing me, how much of an influence he had on my behavior. He got me to start swearing more, he was always goofing off with me, and not to mention the sex! That was sort of a big thing too.

To be honest, though, all of these desires were already present in me. Cain was just the one person who had managed to release all of it. Somehow, he could see past the exterior that I worked so hard to put up, and ripped out all the parts of me that I had tried to suppress. It all worked out so perfectly, though, considering that he literally embodied all the things that my father despised. In other words, he set me free.

“Abel, you feel so good…” Cain muttered to me, pulling my thoughts back to reality. Not that I minded, though, since this reality was amazing.

“Please, Cain, move,” I pleaded. Smirking down at me, he obliged, and pulled his hips back just so that only the tip of his length was in. Within another split second, though, he plunged himself back in, causing me to let out a broken cry.

“Shit!” I moaned, gasping.

Cain lifted my legs up so they rested on his shoulders, and gazed down at me, breathing uneven and ragged. Looking up at him with half-lidded eyes, I pouted.

“Why are you going so slow?” I whined. “Before, you were so impatient…” This earned a chuckle from Cain.

“I didn’t realize, sorry. I just like watching your face.”

Blushing, I frowned and pulled him close so our noses touched.

“If you like that, then go faster. You’ll see what my face looks like then.” At this, he raised his eyebrows, obviously dumbstruck. However, the motivation seemed to be enough for him, and, grabbing my hips for better leverage, Cain quickened his pace.

Moments passed, and he finally got to the speed I liked best: the kind that started rocking the desk. Groaning and panting, Cain lifted up the bottom of my shirt and began kissing my abdomen, his hot breaths versus the cold air on my exposed skin causing goosebumps to form.

“Ahh, Cain… ahh, fuck--” I breathed, entangling my fingers in his black hair and tugging gently. It felt amazing, like I was floating, or even high. In fact, the feeling of sex was incredibly similar to being high, except I was high on adrenaline and hormones, rather than drugs.

And, as Cain continued thrusting, those hormones shot through me when he suddenly hit my prostate again. I can’t fully remember what happened then, except I think I screamed.

Cain, obviously aware that he had just found the right spot, proceeded to hit it again and again. Meanwhile, I was completely gone, melted away. I had closed my eyes and simply rode the pleasure, fully knowing that I was going to come soon, _hard._

“Abel…” Cain managed to say through his heavy breathing, “...open… your eyes.”

Despite being so close to cumming, I was able to do what he asked, and I opened my eyelids to look up at Cain, our gazes locking.

He was beginning to sweat, and I could vaguely make out a deep shade of red showing on his caramel-colored cheeks. God, he looked so sexy. And to top it off, he was inside me. Just the thought that I managed to get him this way, that I was able to put him into this state of need and lust, was unbelievable. Who would have thought that this guy, who at first had come off as incredibly intimidating and cold-hearted, would end up sweeping me away like this. I didn’t know if we were dating, exactly, because Cain didn’t seem like the type to date, but I relished this moment. I could’ve stayed there with him forever.

And, eventually, the thought of it all managed to push me over the edge.

I climaxed, grabbing Cain’s hands. As I rode out the orgasm, I heard him moan loudly, and I could slightly feel a warmth growing inside of me as he came along with me.

Finally, after what almost felt like an eternity, though it never lasted long enough, I came back to earth, and found Cain had lost all his strength, and was now laying on top of me. He was panting, but after a few more moments he and I eventually began to breathe somewhat normally.

I brought up a hand and slowly ran it through his hair. He shifted and smiled up at me, face radiant in his afterglow.

"What'd you think of that, Princess?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"I think we should definitely do that again, sometime," I replied with an exhausted smile. He chuckled in response and pushed himself up.

As we both pulled on our discarded clothes, I couldn't help but watch Cain. He was moving much slower than he had been earlier. As I watched, I ended up noticing some of the small things he did, such as running his fingers through his disheveled hair, which he did quite frequently. He was extremely attractive, even though I would never tell him that. His ego was big enough already.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not polite to stare?" he asked, jerking me back to reality.

"Not staring," I said. "More like gazing," I replied with a smile. Cain snorted, and held out a hand to me, meaning that it was time to go.

“Wait, does my hair look okay?” I asked worriedly. “Does it look like sex hair?” Cain chuckled and shook his head.

“No, Princess. You look perfect as always, now let’s go.” Sighing, I took his hand, and we both exited the room, being sure to make it look like we had never been there.

Just as we were about to head back to the dance, though, we were suddenly stopped when someone down the hall addressed us.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. "What do we have here?"


	10. Cain

**Chapter 10**

**Cain**

 

At the sound of the voice, I instinctively tightened my grip on Abel’s hand. I turned and squinted my eyes in an attempt to see through the darkness, but failed. Because this part of the building was pretty much deserted, all the lights were off, much to my chagrin.

“Who the fuck are you?” I snapped to whoever had addressed us. Abel stepped closer to me. The owner of the voice slowly stepped out from the shadows and revealed that it was…

Someone I did not know.

 _The fuck is this guy?_ I thought to myself. As I wondered, though, another figure stepped out into the faint light, joining the other, shorter, guy.

Both of them were blond, but not the pretty kind, and neither of them were even remotely attractive. I mean, really? The smaller guy had hair down past his chin that was fucking parted in the middle, and the other guy (a little bit better-looking I suppose) was big and built, with an undercut. Sneering, I spoke again.

“I dunno if you heard me the first time, but I think I asked, ‘who the fuck are you’?” This only received a gross snicker from parted-hair guy.

“That’s really none of your business,” he said simply before glancing over to Abel, who tensed up at the sudden eye contact.

“Well, I had no idea you were a fag, Abel,” the short one said, putting his hands on his narrow hips. “To be honest, though, I’m not surprised.”

I made a move to step toward them, but Abel put an arm out, and looked up at me, shaking his head. He always had to be the fucking diplomat, didn’t he?

“Why don’t you mind your own, business, Phobos?” Abel snapped. They two asshats threw their heads back in laughter.

“The fact that you’re spending quality time with this fairy may not be _my_ business, but I can just about bet that your father would find it interesting to know that his son takes it up the ass.” Abel jerked back, eyes widening in terror.

Growling, I swiftly let go of Abel’s hand and clenched it into a fist. Quickly closing the distance between me and the two wannabes, there was absolutely no time for the longer-haired guy to react before I decked him right in the face.

I was pretty sure I heard his nose break. Smirking, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back into a standing position before slamming him against the wall with both my hands on his shoulders.

“Cain, what are you doing?” Abel exclaimed, grabbing onto the loose fabric at the back of my blazer.

“Listen here, Photos--” I shouted.

“It’s Phobos, you fucking bastard!” he snapped, stifling the flow of blood that was dripping from his nostrils. I glared at him.

“What the fuck ever,” I snarled before leaning in close and lowering my voice to a harsh whisper, “If you even fucking _think_ about mentioning _any of this_ to Abel’s father, I will personally hunt you down and kill you. Very slowly, and _very_ painfully. Do you want that? I think not. So just stay quiet like the little rat you are and mind your own fucking business.”

“Why should I even be scared of _you,_ you prick? You’re just a lowly fucking stripper. How much do you even get paid for that, huh?” he said in an attempt to act menacing. I cocked my head to the side and smirked at him. _Bingo._

“And how, pray tell, do you know that I work at a _gay strip club_?” I asked. The color drained from his face. “I fucking thought you looked familiar, mister first row Thursday nights…”

Phobos was silent for a moment, merely staring up at me with an enormous frown plastered on his face. Finally, though, he tried wiggling free of my grasp and spoke up.

“Just… let me go, you freak! I’ll sue you for assault!” he sputtered, causing me to laugh loudly.

“And if you do that, I will also have another reason to kill you,” I replied bluntly in a low voice. Staring into his scared, wet eyes, I gave him the coldest glare I could muster. I wanted to make sure he knew that I fucking meant business. Forcing someone out of the closet was the douchiest of douche moves, and I knew this guy probably wouldn’t hesitate to do it to Abel, but now that I also had dirt on him, I had a fairly good feeling that he wouldn’t do something so risky.

After a few tense moments, I let him go.

Like the little puss he was, he retreated back to his big friend, who pulled out a tissue to help clean up his bloody nose.

“You faggots just watch yourselves! You can’t hide your dirty little secret forever.” Phobos threatened half-heartedly. The threat was extremely empty, however, when delivered with his nasally voice. I had to try and keep myself from laughing in the serious moment.

After they had turned down the hallway and gotten out of earshot, I turned back to face Abel.

He was frozen in place, staring down at the boring tiled floor. His fists were clenched, and I figured he was either mad or worried. Not that I blamed him, anyway. Sighing heavily to help calm myself down from the confrontation, I walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“...Are you okay?” I asked him quietly. He didn’t respond, though, and instead I could feel him shaking slightly. And that’s when I realized it.

He was crying.

“Abel, what’s wrong? Tell me,” I pleaded, wrapping my arms around him and pet the back of his head. I felt his arms slowly wrap around my waist as he buried his face in my chest, tears soaking into the fabric of my shirt.

“My dad…”  Abel spoke, muffled, into the fabric of my jacket.

“What was that?” I asked.

Turning his head to the left so his voice was more audible, he spoke again.

“If my dad ever found out, I’m pretty sure I would never see you again.” My eyes widened. Would the Professor really pull his son out of college? Or even worse, he would find some way to kick me out… Honestly speaking, though, the thought of him doing that didn’t surprise me. I knew he was a poisonous guy right from the start. However, he also seemed smart, so why wouldn’t he have the mental capacity to just let his son be happy and experience the world? Then again, he was practically turning Abel into a miniature version of himself, and I doubt he would want that image tarnished by him being with a guy… especially a guy like me.

I frowned, not quite sure how to respond. Abel was right.

So then, what should I do? It would take a lot of thinking. For now, though, I just wanted Abel to stop crying. He didn’t deserve to be sad on a night like this.

“Abel, it’s okay,” I muttered, pulling his chin up so he would look at me.

I finally got a good look at his face. His eyes were pink and his cheeks were damp from his tears, and his mouth was partly open, releasing erratic breaths. If he weren’t crying, I would’ve told him that he looked beautiful.

He always looked beautiful, though. Not that I ever planned to tell him.

“How do you know it’ll be okay, though?” Abel managed to say, his voice wavering slightly.

“Because you have helped me so much,” I replied simply. Abel raised an eyebrow in confusion. I lifted my hand up to touch his cheek, wiping away the trails that his tears left.

“You somehow found a way to level me out, even if it has only been a little,” I admitted, looking straight into his eyes. “I mean, seriously? You got me to do fucking homework for the first time in forever. You brought order into my chaotic life. You have helped me to start figuring out what I actually care about.”

Staring up at me, Abel appeared to be at a loss for words. I felt the same way. It was so unlike me to just admit all of those things. Sure, Abel didn’t know a lot about me, but he and I both knew I wasn’t the type to express my inner thoughts. All the things I said, though, were one-hundred percent true, much to my amazement.

Smiling down at Abel’s awe-struck face, I continued.

“And so, since you have been helping me so much, there’s no way I will let those fuckers back there mess up you and me. I did all I could just now, so I don’t know whether they will actually tell your dad or not…” the grasp he had on the back of my blazer tightened at the mention, “...but if they do, believe me when I say that I will do anything to make sure you’re okay.”

Once I finished speaking, Abel managed to crack a small glimpse of a smile. Raising a hand up to wipe his eyes, he sniffled, trying to recompose himself.

“You’re definitely different from when I first met you,” he spoke to me. “You’re not as much of an asshole, which is good.”

“Watch it,” I threatened at the mention of me being an asshole. Abel laughed softly.

“Sorry, I don’t think you are anymore,” he replied, finally returning to his normal self. He took hold of my hand. “Now come on, let’s go back to the dance. It’ll be ending soon.”

Nodding, I smiled and grasped his hand tight, the both of us making our way back to the loud noise and big crowds of the winter formal, which would hopefully shield us from the harshness of reality, at least for tonight.

 

* * *

 

“I’m sooooooo tired…” Ethos groaned, dragging his feet on the sidewalk. A loud laugh erupted from Praxis.

“That’s because you did the entire dance to Gangnam Style!” he managed to say through his laughter. I cracked a smile.

Despite the incident with Phobos and Porthos (Abel finally gave me his name after I kept on referring to him as “undercut Tarzan”), things had managed to remain lively, which was a relief to me. We had given an explanation to Ethos and Praxis when we returned back to the dance-- leaving out the embarrassing details, of course-- and they agreed that Phobos and Porthos had been completely out of line when they approached us and threatened Abel like that. Afterwards, we had proceeded to dance until we got kicked out when the formal ended.

Now, we were walking back to Praxis’ and my room for video games and food. As we walked, Abel and I trailed behind Praxis and Ethos on the sidewalk, since the cement wasn’t wide enough for four people to all walk together on it. As we walked, Abel and I held hands, thankful that the late night darkness concealed us so we were free to do so.

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” I spoke up, causing Abel to stop staring off into space and instead turn and face me.

“What is it?” he replied, raising his eyebrows in curiosity.

“It seemed like those douchebags back there already knew you. How did you end up being acquainted to dickwads like them?” I asked. He sighed and dropped his gaze to the ground before responding.

“...Phobos was my roommate last year, and Porthos lived across the hall from us, rooming with some guy whose name I can’t remember, but he was also a dickwad, as you put it. It was pretty shitty,” he said.  I snorted.

“So has he always been an asshole or did your snoring make him like that?” I asked with a smirk.

“I do not snore!” he said, scoffing up at me.

“Whatever you say, Princess.” Trying to subdue a smile, he continued his explanation.

“It’s a… well, it’s a long story, but Phobos ended up hating me by the end of our freshman year, and it’s stayed that way ever since. I _have_ been trying my best to avoid him, but obviously considering what happened earlier that turned out to be pointless.” I frowned, wondering how in the world how the guy could’ve possibly decided to hate Abel.

“Just don’t let him get to you. People like that have no say,” I said bluntly, squeezing Abel’s hand.

“I’ll remember that,” he replied.

 

* * *

 

After the long, chilly walk, the four of us finally got to Noir Hall, and were welcomed by the warmth of Praxis’ and my room.

Ethos, obviously tired, flopped onto Praxis’ bed with a heavy sigh.

“At least take your shoes off, you slob,” Praxis scolded playfully. Ethos groaned.

“I’m too lazy! Take them off for me if it bugs you so much.” Chuckling, Praxis knelt down and slipped off Ethos’ dress shoes, while Ethos simply laid there, grinning like an idiot.

As Abel sat down on the futon to take off his blazer and shoes, I spotted a brown rectangular package on Praxis’ desk.

“Got something early for Christmas, Praxis?” I asked, gesturing to the box. Praxis turned to look at where I was gesturing.

“Oh, that! I almost forgot. It’s actually for you.”

“You got me something for Christmas?” I asked confusedly, raising an eyebrow. Sure, he and I were roommates, but we barely got along half of the time we were around each other, and I didn’t think he would go out of his way to actually buy me something. However, my assumptions were disproved when he spoke up again.

“Not from me, stupid. It was in our mail. I think the label said it came from Moscow.”

After he finished the sentence, I froze.

“No fucking way…” I muttered.

Not even bothering to take off my shoes or jacket, I strode over to the desk and snatched up the box. Sure enough, it was mailed from a Moscow address that I did not recognize. Sitting down in my own chair, I placed the box on my desk and grabbed my pocket knife off the shelf next to me. I took a deep breath and cut the tape that was stretched across the top, holding the flaps down.

There were two possible sources of the gift, and I was only willing to accept one of them. Before I got to the actual present, though, my hand slid over a piece of paper, which I realized to be an envelope. Sucking in my breath, I held it up, but there was nothing written on the outside except for my name in tilted, clear handwriting. Except it was not in English, but rather in Russian: my given name, “Каин”. Frowning, I quickly tore the envelope open, wary of just exactly who it was from.

However, upon reading the first sentence, I already knew who it was from. I didn’t even need to read any more of it.

“God damn it!” I cried out, cutting through the silence in the room. Praxis, Ethos, and Abel were probably all staring at me, I knew it, but I didn’t look up. All I could do was stare down at the letter, my hands shaking and wrinkling the edges of the paper.

“...Cain? What’s wrong?” exclaimed Abel, who I suddenly felt at my side. I didn’t answer, though. Instead, I slammed the paper down onto the desk, grabbed a pack of cigarettes, and stormed out of the room. I heard them calling down the hall after me, but ignored them and soon rounded the corner and slammed open the door leading to the staircase. When I reached the ground floor, I burst out of the door and into the cold air again. As I walked around to the back of the building, I hastily pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply.

“ _Fuck_!” I screamed on the exhale, angrily kicking a pinecone across the sidewalk.

Why did they have to fucking send me that? I hadn’t gotten a gift from them since before my grandmother died and, quite frankly, didn’t want any more. I did my best to erase myself simply because I didn’t want them to be able to find me, but that obviously hadn’t worked.

Soon after I sat down on the steps, and put my face in my hands, someone sat next to me. I growled slightly when they put a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Abel giving me a worried look.

“What the hell do you want?” I snapped.

“I just… I came to see if you were okay,” he said, obviously startled by my sudden outburst. I let out a loud laugh and stood up.

“I’m fan-fucking-tastic! Peachy! Never fucking better! What do you fucking think, Abel?” I said, raising my voice with every word. “You think that little outburst back there was just for kicks so I could see the looks on all of your faces? Of course not! I am _pissed,_ Abel. I literally feel like punching this brick wall so many times that my hand fucking falls off! Does that answer your question as to whether or not I am _fucking okay_?!”

After I had finished my rant, all Abel could do was stare up at me, his mouth agape. After a moment of silence, he furrowed his eyebrows, and stood up so that we were both at the same level.

“I understand you’re mad, Cain,” he responded, his voice sounding much firmer than before. “But what I’d like to know is why.” I snorted, taking a drag from my cigarette.

“Like telling you would make any difference…” Abel gasped.

“You really think it wouldn’t?” he said. “Cain, does anyone else know about… well, whatever it is you’re dealing with?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“Not telling.”

“And why the fuck not?”

At this question, I could feel a headache coming on. _Shit…_ I thought to myself. Abel was getting too close. The things I had told Abel about my past were only known by one other person, and for a reason. I was terrified with what he would do with the information. I knew Abel was a good-natured person, but I had a bad history with good-natured people turning into back-stabbing fucktards.

“Because,” I growled, turning away. He put a hand on my arm and spun me around. I glowered down at him. “What the hell do you want?!”

“Cain,” he said in a low tone, “Why are you so upset about a Christmas present? Who was it from?”

“Who the fuck do you think it was from, Abel? My parents. You know, the ones who were too fucking preoccupied with their fucking jobs to even bother raising their _only fucking son_?” I shouted in response, annoyed at Abel’s constant prying. His face instantly softened and I scoffed at him. “You’re feeling sorry for me, right? Well don’t. I don’t need your pity.”

“I’m not trying to pity you, it’s just…”

“What?” I snarled.

“I’m just confused as to why they would send you something after so many years of being distant,” he said.

“That makes two of us,” I replied. “I mean, why do they even care now? Why the fuck couldn’t they do this when I was a fucking kid?  Back when it, you know, fucking _mattered_.”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Cain. Why don’t you find out?” Shuffling through his pants pocket, he pulled out a piece of folded up paper, which I realized was the letter.

“You better not have fucking read that,” I threatened. After I finished saying it, though, I saw Abel’s serious facial expression change to one of amusement.

“Cain,” he started, fighting back a chuckle, “I don’t know Russian.” I snarled, realizing the stupidity of my comment, and snatched the paper out of his hand.

“I already read the fucking thing, Abel,” I retorted. He shook his head.

“Not the whole thing. I saw you, and I at least know you well enough to know that you can’t read an entire page that quick, even if it is in your first language. Now read the whole thing. I want to know what it says. And don’t try using the excuse that you don’t want to know, because I know some part of you does.”

Growling, I glared down at the paper. It was dark outside, so the small writing was a bit hard to read, but there was a light directly above us, and at the correct angle, I managed to make out what it said. Speaking slowly as I translated, I read the letter aloud.

“‘Dear Cain, we sincerely hope that this package reaches you before you come back for Christmas. Your mother especially wanted to see you in this when we next saw you, so we thought it would be alright to send it over to America, as an early gift. We really hope you will take up our offer to come home and share Christmas with us, since it has been so long. Your mother plans to make your favorite borscht that night! And on Christmas Day we are thinking of taking the train north to go and visit…’” I paused, my breath hitching a bit, “‘...to go and visit your grandmother’s grave. We miss you, and we’re sure that your grandmother must miss you too, what with you being all the way over in America for school. Speaking of school, something has come up that we hope you will take advantage of. At first, we were going to wait until you got home to explain it to you, but we want you to have plenty of time to think about it. Your mother and I recently both got a big promotion, and our jobs are no longer as hectic as they used to be. In addition to this, we also are earning at least twice as much as we were earning before, and we would like you to…’” I trailed off, the blood draining from my face.

“They want you to what?” Abel asked. I shook my head and handed him the letter back after I finished reading it in silence.

“Nothing, I just…” I sighed, not wanting to make him angry again. “I just want to be alone, right now.”

“Okay,” he said with a nod. “I’m going to go back upstairs.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, waving him off.

“Cain?” he asked quietly.

“Hmm?”

“I’m here for you if you ever want to talk,” he said before reaching up and kissing me on the cheek.

After he disappeared around the corner, I sat back down on the steps and put my head in my hands again. I didn’t know how to handle any of this and I let my mind wander.

It was all so much to take in. I hadn’t had any contact with my parents as a child, and yet there was always a present under the tree on Christmas from them. Those gifts were some of the only things that gave me hope that someday they would come home. However, as I got older, that hope dissipated and I started growing skeptical of the whole ordeal.

And my suspicions were confirmed after my grandmother died. The presents stopped coming, and my worst fears became reality: my parents didn’t even give half a shit after all. I figured out that all they had been doing was sending money, which my grandmother would then use to buy a gift. It was then that I realized just what kind of people they were. I mean, they had the fucking audacity to have a son and never even see him? But if they were going to be that way, then I could just do the same thing to them. The last time I saw them was at the funeral, and I had done my best to speak to them as little as possible over the years since then.

I clenched my fists at the memories and did my best not to scream. After I had successfully calmed myself back down, I let out a long sigh and made my way back inside. I opened the door to find the lights had been shut off and what I assumed was Ethos and Praxis curled up in Praxis’ bed watching something on his laptop.

“Where did Abel go?” I asked after realizing that he was no longer in the room.

“He went back to Beta. Said he was exhausted after tonight,” Ethos said, looking up at me before cuddling further under the blankets. A small smirk spread across my face and I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly three in the morning. I was surprised that he made it this far without passing out, but I had to give it to him for having stamina. However, a small part of me was hurt that he would rather go back to the frat house than sleep here with me. I pushed the feeling away and stripped down to my boxers and pulled on a pair of sweatpants before climbing into bed. As I lay there, I felt lonely. Really lonely. After about twenty minutes of tossing and turning, I growled and rolled back out of bed. I hastily threw on a shirt and shoes and grabbed a jacket.

“Ethos, I’m borrowing your keys,” I said, snatching them off Praxis’ desk and leaving before he could protest. I heard him faintly call out an ‘okay’ after I shut the door. Five minutes later, I let myself into the Beta Omega house and crept up the stairs. I quietly unlocked the door to Abel’s room and stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

“S’that you, Ethos?” a sleepy voice asked. I chuckled.

“No, Princess,” I replied, stripping down to my boxers. Abel sat up in bed and rubbed his face.

“What’re you doin’, Cain?” he asked sleepily, with a tinge of happiness in his voice. I shushed him and pulled back the covers before crawling into bed beside him.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, pulling him close to me. He nodded, smiling against my chest, and quickly went out like a light. I smiled and kissed the side of his head.

Even with Abel there, curled up next to me with a peaceful look on his face, my mind was racing too fast for me to fall asleep. There were just some things an angel couldn’t protect you from, especially when he was the cause of them.


	11. Abel

**Chapter 11**

**Abel**

 

At the same time that I was worried for Cain, I was also relieved that he had managed to calm down after what had happened that night after the Winter Formal. It turned out that the actual gift that had been sent along with the letter was a _really_ nice Dior leather jacket. It amazed me that his parents went to such lengths and cost to buy it for him, but he assumed it was probably because they were ‘raking in even more money’ than my own parents.

Dead week and Finals week eventually passed, but not without all the stress that came along with trying to do well on our final exams. Cain and I studied together even more frequently than usual, and I tried almost every study method in the book to make sure the tutoring sessions wouldn’t be for naught. We even managed to keep our hands off each other so that we could spend more time studying, which was a miracle.

And, after it was all said and done, I should have been relieved to have three full weeks of no school, but in all honesty, the happiness was bittersweet.

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes and saw that it was dark outside. Groaning quietly, I snuggled further back into the warmth of Cain's chest and pulled the blanket back up over my shoulders. I sighed with content as he tightened his arm around me and placed an innocent kiss on my temple. I giggled quietly as he bent down and nuzzled the crook of my neck.

“When does your flight leave?” I asked quietly. I felt him sigh against my skin before placing his chin on my shoulder.

“Ten thirty AM,” he said. I turned and looked at the clock that was sitting on my desk across the room: two forty-six in the morning. The two of us had been cooped up in my room in Beta Omega since Ethos had left early for break on Wednesday. Neither of us had had any exams on Thursday or Friday, so we opted to stay in out of the cold and relax before leaving for break. Mostly we ended up playing video games, poker, and watching movies. Oh, and having sex every so often. It was wonderful, and I wished we had more time to be like that forever.

I turned around so that I was facing Cain, straddling his hips with mine. I laced my fingers behind his neck and smiled down at him.

“So what do you want to do for the next six hours? I don’t feel like sleeping anymore,” I teased, running my fingers through his black hair.

“Are you an option?” he asked, running his hands slowly up my sides. I shivered and arched my back.

“That depends on if you play your cards right or not,” I said, brushing my lips against his. He let out a low growl and leaned up to press our mouths together in a hungry kiss. I moaned slightly as his hands quickly slid down, grabbed my hips, and pulled them forward, rubbing my half-hard cock against his. After breaking the kiss, I rested my forehead against his and tangled my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

“I'm not very good at card games, Princess,” he said with a smirk, slowly trailing his fingers up my back once more. “You might have to walk me through this one.”

“That's a lie. You kick my ass at poker,” I snarled, rocking my hips against his. He snickered and quickly stilled my attempts at finding friction.

“Getting anxious, are we?” he asked. I nodded slightly, earning a chuckle from him.

“You're such a tease,” I said, biting my lower lip. Without a word, he brought one of his hands up and cupped my cheek. He moved his thumb over and slowly pulled my lip free from the grasp of my teeth before kissing me softly.

“Slow down, Princess,” he whispered. “I want to savor this, since I'm not going to have you for nearly a month.”

“Ugh, don't remind me,” I sighed. He smiled and pecked my lips.

“Don't think about it right now. We've still got six hours, remember?” he said. I nodded slightly and he pulled me down into a gentle kiss. Our lips moved together slowly as we held on to each other for dear life.

A month and a half ago, I would have never willingly spoken to Cain, let alone allowed him to touch me. Now, however, I couldn't get enough of him. All I could think about was the taste of his lips as he kissed me, his rough, slightly calloused fingertips skimming over my ever sensitive skin, the heat of his body as he held me close and the warm tint of his eyes when he looked at me. Cain had ignited a fire inside me and I was not keen on extinguishing it. There was something about the way he whispered my name that always left me wanting more.

Before, I had assumed that I already had everything I would ever need. Good grades, free tuition, a great roommate, et cetera. But suddenly Cain appeared in front of me, offering me something I had never realized I yearned for.

I was pulled from my thoughts when he twisted and laid me down on the soft blankets. Pinning my arms beside my head, he gave me his signature Heartbreaker smile and leaned down, kissing me again. Before I had time to react, his warm lips had moved down my jawline and neck and he was placing soft kisses across my chest. He let go of my wrists and slowly dragged his hands down my arms and rested them on my ribs. I groaned and arched my back slightly when he moved his thumbs out and rubbed my nipples. He chuckled slightly as he trailed his lips farther down, fingers following at a tantalizingly slow pace.

“Shit, Cain...” I said breathlessly as he licked the tip of my erection. I threw my head back against the pillow and tangled my fingers in his hair. Another moan fell through my lips as he ever so slowly took the entire thing in his mouth. He stilled for a moment before coming back up and swirling his tongue around the tip as he ran his hand up and down the base. After a few short seconds of this, he retracted and glanced up at me.

“Abel,” he said. I groaned at the absence of his mouth and looked down at him. He gestured to me and I sighed.

Leaning over to the small chest of drawers next to the bed, I opened the middle drawer, retrieved the bottle from inside and handed it to him. In another moment, his mouth was back to sucking me, and I barely heard the cap of the bottle snap open.

“Mmm...” I moaned as he teased me with his fingers and continued working his magic with his talented tongue. When he finally inserted his first finger, I tensed up slightly. The feeling was still slightly foreign, as it always would be, but by the time he added a second, it wasn't enough; I needed more.

“Cain... Please...” In an instant both his fingers and his mouth were gone. My eyes fluttered open to see him hovering over me.

“Sit up,” he whispered before pecking my lips and sitting back on his knees. Without questioning him, I obliged, giving him enough room to sit behind me. He tugged on my shoulder, gesturing for me to turn around. I did so and he pulled me close, hands holding my hips.

“You ready?” he asked, lips brushing my cheek. I nodded slightly, arms folded around the back of his neck with one hand tangled in his dark locks. My breath hitched as he slowly eased me down onto his erection. I willed myself to relax, his words from the last few times still picking at the back of my mind. I let out the breath I had been holding when he finally stilled, letting me adjust.

“I'm never going to get used to you,” I muttered.

“That makes two of us, Princess,” he said, chuckling slightly. He placed a soft kiss to my shoulder and continued, “You're getting much better at this, though.” I pulled back and gave him a small smile.

“I had a great teacher,” I said before pulling his lips back against mine.

I deepened the kiss, brushing our tongues together as he slowly lifted me up before lowering me back down, all too slowly for my liking. He wasn't kidding about savoring this. I pressed our lips together again in an attempt to experience everything he had to offer. He soon allowed me to take over as he moved one hand to the small of my back and the other to wrap around my erection and move in time with our movements. Our pace soon quickened and passionate kisses turned into soft moans surrounded by hot breath filling the air between us. My own whimpers and moans increased in volume as he began thrusting upward, meeting me halfway, and hitting that sweet spot again and again.

I would gladly spend all break here if I could, but alas, he was going back to Russia and I got the pleasure of staying at home and spending every day with my father. I quickly pushed the thought from my head and instead focused on the simple, more exciting pleasures that I was receiving now: the ones I would most definitely be looking back on later.

“Cain...I...” I whispered between moans as the feeling in the pit of my stomach grew.

“I know, Princess,” he responded, placing a kiss just below my ear. “I'm almost there, too.”

A few thrusts later, I threw my head back and dug my fingers into his shoulder as I found my release. As I rode it out, I faintly heard Cain whisper my name as he orgasmed as well. After coming down from our highs, he laid down and draped an arm around my shoulders as I curled into his side. Resting my head on his chest, I pulled the blankets up over us, suddenly realizing that the air around us was chilly.

“Cain?” asked after a few minutes of silence. He looked down at me.

“Yeah?”

“What am I going to do over break without you?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean,” I said, frowning up at him. He let out a loud laugh in response and put his other arm behind his head as he closed his eyes.

“Masturbate?” he suggested. I huffed.

“It's not the same anymore...” I trailed off, tracing circles on his chest with my fingertips. I listened as another laugh rumbled through his chest.

“We'll figure something out,” he said, bending down to kiss the top of my head. I sighed and, as much as I fought it, closed my eyes. I listened to him ever slowing heartbeat as I drifted off again, the man next to me filling my dreams.

 

* * *

 

As we made our way through the crowded airport, I couldn't help but cling to Cain's hand. Large crowds made me slightly anxious and I couldn't help but feel like I was going to lose him if I let go. After several minutes of slow-paced walking, we finally reached the gate that he needed. With a sigh, he stopped and turned to me. Setting his suitcase upright, he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. I clung to him and silently wished that he would change his mind and not go home. He pressed his lips to the top of my head.

“I'm coming back, you know,” he said. I shrugged and pulled back to look up at him.

“I know. I just...” I trailed off, sighing. I couldn't put the feeling into words and it was frustrating.

“I have to go,” he said. I nodded and dropped my arms back down to my sides.

“Cain,” I said as he started to walk away. He stopped and turned back to face me. Before I could convince myself otherwise, I grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled his face down to mine, crashing our lips together in a rough kiss. Before he could react, I pulled back and let go of his jacket. He gave me that trademark smirk accompanied by a wink before turning and walking down the hallway. As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but notice how hard I was falling.

And I wasn't sure if he would be there to catch me when I hit the bottom.

 

* * *

 

Without Cain, winter break passed by unbearably slowly. I spent the majority of my free time reading, sleeping, watching movies by myself, and, of course, missing Cain. I missed his voice, his laugh, his snarky comments, and, of course, his touch. In fact, I found my body was way too honest about missing him. All too often, I would find myself aroused just from thinking about him, and frankly it was getting frustrating. But I suppose that’s why they call it ‘sexual frustration’.

Somehow, Christmas eventually came around, and the relatives I disliked all came over for dinner and gift-opening. Thankfully, Aunt Penelope was down in Florida for work, so I didn’t have to worry about her.

That, however, was the only hint of fortune I came across, because as I sat in the living room, reading one of my many books, my little cousins wouldn’t stop running around screaming, and my aunts and uncles all sat around the dining room table, laughing drunkenly. Why were they even here anymore? All the presents had already been opened, and there was no way that there was any more cherry pie left, so what was the hold up?

“Hey, Abel!” shouted my uncle Jason-- on my father’s side-- from the dining room. “Found any possible girlfriends over at college? College girls are the best!”

“No, Jason, I haven’t,” I half-hollered in reply. He laughed, taking a sip from his wine glass.

“It’s not that hard to do, Abel! Come on, college girls will do just about _anything_.” I scoffed, knowing all too well to what he was referring to. There was a reason he was still single at 47.

“That’s alright, Jason,” my father interjected. “I’d rather Abel focus on his studies, anyways. There will always be women, but college is only for a short time. After all, if he wants to keep getting straight A’s, he doesn’t have any time for goofing off.” I couldn’t help but grin to myself at the comment, thankful that from this angle my face was hidden.

Not even a few moments later, though, my phone suddenly started vibrating in my pocket. Fishing it out and looking at the caller ID, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

“Hello?” I answered after swiping the screen to receive the call. There was a lot of background noise on the other end, but I could recognize an extremely familiar voice responding to me.

“Hello, Princess,” Cain answered happily. “What are you doing right now?”

“Uh, sitting in front of the couch watching a movie while my cousins run around obnoxiously and the adults are getting drunk in the dining room. Why?” I asked, fiddling with the cover of my book, which now lay on the side table next to the sofa I was laying on.

“Because I miss you and your cute butt,” he slurred. I let out a loud laugh and rested my head on the arm of the couch.

“Are you drunk?” I asked quietly.

“Maybe a little bit, but it's Christmas and I'm alone,” he replied.

“I know how you feel,” I said sadly. “Where are you at, anyway?”

“Bathroom of a bar.”

“It sounds like you're having fun,” I mumbled. “I'm stuck here.”

“Mmm. Abel, do you know what I would do if I were there?” he asked.

“I haven't got a clue,” I chuckled.

“I'd fuck you. Nice and slow until you started begging for it,” he said bluntly. My eyes widened and I looked around again.

“I don't know. Let me go upstairs and see if I can find it,” I said loudly, standing up and making my way upstairs. I closed and locked my bedroom door before letting out a breath of relief.

“What?” Cain asked, obviously confused at the random sentence. I put a hand on my forehead and flopped down on my bed.

“Sorry, I had to get away from my family,” I said with a chuckle. “What were you saying about fucking me?” I could practically hear him smirk.

“How much do you miss me, Princess?” he asked.

“Let's just say I'm probably going to let you do whatever you want to me when we get back to school,” I laughed quietly, moving my phone to the other ear.

“Mm. Anything?”

“Anything,” I clarified.

“So you're going to let me slam you against the wall, rip off your shirt, and run my fingers all across your sensitive skin, making you shiver. Then I'll grab your ass and kiss you. Hard.”

“Cain, are you really going to do this?” I asked in disbelief, a blush rising to my cheeks.

“You bet your sweet ass I am,” he said in a husky voice. I couldn’t believe he was actually getting me hard while he was five thousand miles away. Not that he technically hadn’t already, but this time he was probably fully aware of it.

“So what would you do next? I asked, egging him on.

“After I’ve successfully gotten you hard?” he asked.

“Obviously,” I responded.

“Well, I _have_ been wanting to tie you up, that’s what’s been on my mind mostly.” I felt my face heat up at the thought.

“W-why would I want to be tied up?” Cain chuckled on the other end.

“You wouldn’t, but I would do it anyways, that way I could do anything and you couldn’t stop me,” he replied, his voice low. “I’d pull your hair and whisper into your ear as I grabbed your perfect ass, and I’d smack it so hard that I’d leave red marks. And every time I did it, you’d moan, getting me even harder.”

“Cain, are you…?” I asked, half-covering my face in embarrassment.

“Yes. Whatever you are thinking, it’s probably happening,” he replied bluntly.

“But Cain, I’m actually getting hard…” He chuckled.

“I’ve been hard since before I called you, Princess.”

I gasped quietly, and, knowing I had to get rid of the bulge in my pants somehow, speed-walked into my bathroom, locking the door behind me.

I sat on the floor, my hands shaking as I nervously undid the zipper of my jeans.

“Cain, I’m so turned on right now, I can’t stand it…” I could almost hear him smirking.

“Damn, I wish I could be there to help you out.” Pulling my erection out and pumping it slowly with one hand, I desperately wished that he was with me, too.

“Tell me more…” I whispered, my voice wavering slightly, “...about what you’d do if you were here.”

“Well, I think I’d like to fuck you from behind… since we haven’t done that yet,” he spoke to me, his breathing slightly uneven. “I’d have your hands tied behind your back, and I’d grip them tight while I...hah... fucked you. And I’d have you blindfolded, so you’d... be unable to anticipate what I’d do next. I could... all of a sudden... start fucking you sideways, and you wouldn’t even know it was--ah-- coming…”

Judging by his breathing, and that one little slip of a moan, I knew for certain that he had to be touching himself, too. _Oh my god…_ I thought to myself, _Are we seriously doing this? Omigod omigod omigod…_

Despite my internal screaming, though, I continued to get myself off without regrets. Cain had managed to plant all this desire in me, and now that he was all the way on the other side of the world, that desire was now starting to overflow out of me.

“Hah...ah...Cain,” I muttered through my moans. “I want you to...ah... fuck me like that sometime.” I heard him give a low chuckle between his soft panting.

“If you keep… moaning like that, there’s no way I’d pass it up,” he said under his breath, his breathing becoming faster and more desperate. “Ah fuck, I bet your ass will be _so_ tight next time I fuck you… ah, fuck! Hah, ah…”

I pumped myself even harder and faster, knowing that Cain was bound to be coming. It was such a strange thought, to think that Cain could get off just thinking about me. I felt on top of the world. And as I finally came, and my vision went completely white, I even felt like I could fly.

“Ah…! Cain… oh _god_. Fuck, ah…” I moaned loudly, my phone dropping down onto the bathroom floor as I rode out my orgasm. Cum spurted out from the tip of my cock, getting all over my light-blue polo. I didn’t even care, though. The shirt was hideous anyways.

Finally, after finally calming down enough, my hands managed to start working again, and I picked the phone off the white floor tiles. Everything on the phone seemed undamaged, since it didn’t even fall that far, and as I took a peek at the screen, I was thankful to find that I was still on the line with Cain.

“Cain?” I spoke, putting the phone back up to my ear.

“Had a little trouble, Princess?” said the voice on the other end. I smiled, thankful that he hadn’t hung up on me.

“Yeah… I uh, dropped the phone,” I admitted, earning a chuckle from him.

“Sounds like something you’d do,” he replied. After a moment of us not talking, I spoke up.

“Did… did we seriously just have phone sex?” I blurted out. Cain laughed loudly. I could hear him slapping his knee with amusement.

“Yet another thing I’ve had you do for the first time, huh?” he said happily.

“Well, you _do_ have a habit of doing that.” I replied, standing up and zipping my jeans.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom, peeking around to make sure that no one had snuck in while I was… preoccupied. I couldn’t believe I had just had phone sex with Cain while the majority of my relatives, including my parents, were downstairs celebrating Christmas. Oh, if they only knew…

Rummaging through my dresser to find a new shirt, I kept the phone held up to my ear with one hand.

“...So why aren’t you with your parents tonight? If you don’t mind my asking,” I questioned Cain, being sure to not upset him, considering that it was a delicate topic.

“I just…” Cain began, “...don’t think I’m ready to see them again yet. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, believe me.” He replied, his voice still a bit slow and slurred from drinking. He obviously wasn’t too drunk though, which was good, since I wanted to at least converse with him a little. Quickly switching my shirts, I put the phone back up to my ear.

“It’s great that you’re thinking about it,” I said encouragingly, tossing my dirty shirt into the clothesbasket. “I really think the fact that they sent you that jacket and that letter is a sign that they are trying to mend their relationship with you.” Cain sighed on the other end.

“I know….” he said simply.

“If you don’t want to talk about it anymore, that’s cool too,” I replied, noticing his lack of response.

“Yeah, I just need to consider it some more,” Cain explained. “Anyways, I’m meeting someone, so I have to go.”

_Huh? Meeting someone?_ I wondered to myself. I mean, I shouldn’t just assume that Cain doesn’t have friends back in Russia, but it seemed like this entire time he was trying to run away from his homeland. So who could he possibly meeting?

I didn’t voice my worries, though. Not knowing what else to say, I simply replied, “Oh, okay.”

“I’ll keep in touch,” Cain said, his voice sounding happier.

“Alright, talk to you later,” I said. Returning the goodbye, Cain finally hung up on the other end, leaving me just standing there, listening to the dial tone.

What if he was meeting a guy? Maybe someone he had previous relations with? What if he was meeting some pretty girl? The possibilities were endless, and my worries grew exponentially as the seconds passed.

Realizing how stupid I was being, though, I shook my head. If he already knew the person, the chance that he was going to sleep with them was minimal, right? I knew for a fact he’d never slept with any of our friends back on campus. Plus… he had me. He didn’t need anyone else, right? Then again, we weren’t exactly _dating_ either. Never over the past two months had we agreed that our relationship was exclusive. Which, to be completely honest, was starting to bother me.

 

* * *

 

Over the next few days, I made a point to keep myself from texting Cain too much. He was probably busy with other things, and I definitely did _not_ want to seem clingy. To my surprise, though, he always responded to my messages, and he even gave me an idea as to some of the things he did, most of which included him getting high. Not that I cared, though. It was break, and as long as he didn’t do anything worse than weed, I was perfectly fine.

In addition to not over-texting Cain, I also refrained from asking who exactly he met with on Christmas Eve. I knew that he liked his privacy, and I trusted that when he felt like telling me about him or her, he would.

The endless thoughts of him didn’t do anything to ease my boredom, though, and it often seemed like time was slowing down just to spite me. I continued to sleep more than usual, watch tons of movies down in the home theater, and I was almost finished reading _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy for the second time.

Finally, though, New Year’s Eve arrived, and even the small bit of excitement was enough to keep me from my boredom.

My parents invited some of the neighbors over for lunch, which was pretty uneventful, but at least the food was good. Other than that, though, the guests we had over were all middle-aged men and their wives, so it was fairly boring, and I ended up just eating up in my room while playing video games.

That night, though, after all the guests had gone, it was just me down in the living room, waiting for the ball to drop on TV. My parents had already gone to bed, since the never were ones to stay up late, but I wanted to ring in the new year, even if there wasn’t really anyone else to share it with.

I was curled up under a blanket on the couch with a bowl of popcorn watching the last performer take the stage in Time’s Square. When they were finished, all eyes turned to the giant glass ball and started the countdown. As the clock struck midnight, loud cheers came through the speakers of the television and the camera panned over several couples sharing their New Year’s Kiss.

My heart twisted as I watched all of the happy couples on the screen. I sighed quietly and dropped my gaze down to the popcorn in my lap. All I wanted right now was to have Cain’s arms around and to feel his soft, warm lips press against my own.

I was jolted from my thoughts, though, when Elena came into the room, wiping her hands on her jeans. Looking over to the TV, she gasped.

“They already dropped the ball?!” she exclaimed disappointedly. “I rang in the new year peeing… again.” I nearly choked on the handful of popcorn I was just about to swallow.

“Isn’t that the third time you’ve done that?” I asked as she sat down on the couch next to me.

“Fourth time in a row,” she responded with a laugh. I stifled my giggles and resumed watching the TV. After a few moments, she spoke up again, “Why the long face, Sweetie?”

“What? Oh, nothing. I just… miss people,” I said quietly. She nodded and gave me a small smile and look around, making sure that my parents weren’t within earshot.

“Miss people, or miss him?” she asked. I groaned and hid my face with the fabric of the blanket, earning another laugh from her. “It’ll all be okay, Abel. You’ve only got one more week and you’ll be back at school.”

“I know, I just--” I trailed off when I felt my phone vibrate against my leg. I quickly grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. “It’s him…”

“Well, answer it! I’ll give you some privacy. And Abel?” I looked up at her and held my phone up to my ear. “I approve,” she said before swiftly leaving the room.

“Hey,” I said into the receiver of the phone.

“How are you, Princess?” he asked groggily.

“I’m okay. A little lonely, but I’ll get over it.”

“Don’t worry,” Cain said. “Even though it doesn’t seem like it, next semester will start before you know it. And I’ll come back and see you.” I blushed at the thought. Just imagining seeing him again after what will feel like so long got my heart racing.

“What time is it over there for you?” I asked him, changing the subject. He chuckled softly.

“Eight in the morning, actually. Ugh, I was up so late last night… and I haven’t woken up this early since before the semester ended,” he explained. I blinked in surprise.

“Really? Why are you up so early?” At first, I heard nothing on the other end, but after a short moment, Cain spoke again.

“Well, to wish you a happy new year, of course.” My heart flipped in my chest.

“Are… are you sick or something?”

“No, stupid!” he exclaimed. “Believe it or not, I actually wanted to just say that to you, since all I’ve had time to do these past two weeks is just text.” I smiled to myself, glad that Cain wasn’t around to see just how ecstatic I was.

“...Thank you,” was all I could say. After a moment, I decided to keep talking, since Cain had specifically called me to talk. “Umm… how did you spend New Year’s Eve?”

“Oh, that was another thing I wanted to tell you…” Cain muttered almost inaudibly. “...I, well… I decided to stop by my parents’ house.” I gasped.

“Really?!” I exclaimed, sitting up straight. He actually did it. “How did it go?”

“It was nerve-wracking at first… I mean, I had almost forgotten what they looked like, to be perfectly honest,” he explained. “But, when my mom opened the door and saw me, I could see how… happy she was. She hugged me and didn’t let go for who knows how long.” I laughed softly, but let him continue. “My dad was happy too… and I actually ended up staying until after midnight. We ate dinner, drank a bit, talked… I’m really glad I finally got the balls to go and see them.”

“That’s fantastic, Cain,” I said genuinely. I heard him chuckle on the other end.

“But enough of the sappy stuff,” he spoke suddenly. “You should send me some nudes or something.”

“For the twenty-seventh time, Cain, NO!”


	12. Cain

**Chapter 12**

**Cain**

 

I hated planes. I had disliked them my entire life. I hated them when I was a kid, despite the fact I rarely ever traveled in them, and I continued to hate them with the passion of a thousand burning suns. They were cramped, noisy, either too cold or too hot, and smelly. I especially hated whenever some idiot brought their baby on an eight hour flight, and the stupid thing couldn’t stop screaming and crying, and all the while, I would be screaming and crying too, except I had the decency to do it my head.

And, just my luck, the plane ride back to the U.S. fit all the requirements of a complete and utter hell-hole. For what seemed like an eternity, I sat in that flying metal tube that they call a 747, my iPod on full blast, hopelessly drifting in and out of sleep.

After who knows how long, though, I slipped out of my daze and looked out the window to find that we were finally getting ready to land. I couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. It was nice to go home for awhile and immerse myself in the familiarity of Moscow and actually talk to my parents for the first time in years. However, the eagerness to see Abel again had full reign over my mind at the moment. And with every thought of what it would be like to hold him, kiss him, feel him, and experience him, it only made want to see him even more.

Somehow, he had changed me. Almost digging his way into my mind, one could say. He helped me to come to my senses and to stop holding grudges. He learned how to keep me more level-headed. He even taught me how to understand physics! When I had met him, he was everything that I was not; smart, calm, quiet, and safe. And somewhere over the past few months, he had passed some of those things on to me. Someday in the future I would have to thank him for that, profusely and in many different ways.

 

 

* * *

 

After I got off the plane, finally made it through customs, and had gotten my luggage, I proceeded to the exit, where Abel said he would meet me. I wasn’t sure what to look for, but I assumed he would be in his Mustang. However, when I stepped outside into the brisk winter air, I couldn’t spot the bright red vehicle anywhere.

I let out a long sigh and took out my phone to check the time. However, as soon as I swiped my thumb across the screen to unlock it, someone down the sidewalk yelled my name. I looked up just in time to be tackled to the ground by a sudden force.

In the midst of the collision, my suitcase and carry-on both fell to the cement, as did the rest of me. It was lucky I had been able to keep a strong grip on my phone, though, otherwise that would have gone flying too.

“What the fuck?!” I exclaimed before looking down at the familiar head of blond hair.

“Sorry!” Abel said as he crawled off me and stood up. “I wasn’t expecting to hit you with that much force!” Brushing some dirt off of his jacket, he held out a hand to me and helped to pull me to my feet.

“You’re a little excited, aren’t you, Princess?” I asked with a chuckle, brushing my coat clean as well. Instead of answering, though, he simply replied by embracing me again, this time being certain not to topple me over, and pressed his lips to mine.

Wrapping my arms around his waist and lifting him off the pavement, I kissed him back, not caring whether people saw us or not. After a moment passed, I set him back down onto his feet, and he looked up at me with a huge smile.

“Are you ready?” he asked, pulling away and grabbing my backpack up from the ground. I nodded as I picked up my suitcase and followed him down the sidewalk. After stowing my luggage in the trunk of his car, I climbed into the passenger seat and shut the door behind me.

“You know, the back of your car is on the list,” I said, turning my head to look at him once he had closed the driver’s side door. He gave me a confused look.

“The list? The list of what?” he asked.

“The list of places I’m going to fuck you,” I said, watching as a blush quickly rose to his cheeks.

“Oh. Okay. Uh. What else is on the list?” I smirked and started naming them off, tapping my finger with each location.

“Back of your car; a shower; against a wall, preferably a glass one; in a hot tub, pool, or other body of water; the Chemistry lab, because you’d look hot as hell in a lab coat; on a piano; in front of a mirror; in an elevator; in a fancy hotel room; under the stars; in the woods--”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Abel said, covering his face and leaning it against the steering wheel in embarrassment. Despite his hands blocking my view, though, I could still see faintly that he was bright red, almost as red as his car.

“It’s a long list,” I admitted, leaning back in my seat and stretching my legs out as far as the floorboard would allow. “Not to mention the other list I have of different positions I want to try.”

“Okayyyyyyy let’s go!” Abel exclaimed, sitting up abruptly. He turned the keys in the ignition and put the car into drive. I laughed loudly, amused at his reaction, and ecstatic that I was finally back and next to him. As he drove down the road, I placed my hand on top of his as he gripped the gearshift tightly. He looked at me and gave me a heartwarming smile before slowly biting his lip.

“You and I are going to have to have a very serious conversation about your nasty habit of biting your lip,” I said, earning a smirk from him.

“I look forward to that.”

 

 

* * *

 

“Nnn, Cain…” I smirked against Abel’s skin as I slowly lifted the hem of his shirt and placed soft kisses across his abdomen.

"Yes, Princess?" I asked, assisting him with pulling his t-shirt off the rest of the way and throwing it on the floor.

It had been about two weeks or so since we had gotten back from winter break, and everything was perfect. Abel and I continued to put on the tutor-tutee facade for Dean Bering, and spent as much time outside of our classes together as we could. We would get lunch together, go for dinner with Praxis and Ethos, and have movie nights with Pathos and Logos. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

But today, since it was blizzarding so badly outside, we simply decided to just stay in Abel’s room together, and I had no qualms. As long as Abel was next to me, I didn’t care one bit.

"What do you want to cross off our list this time?" he asked seductively, tangling his fingers in my hair. Damn, I taught him well.

"Well, since we are in the dorms, our options are limited," I replied, tracing the pads of my thumbs over his nipples. “The bathroom would be too risky, I don’t have any rope or anything with me, and…” I slid one of my hands down so that it was cupping his growing erection through his sweatpants, “...I still have yet to invest in some nice sex toys.” He let out a soft moan as I touched him, and looked down at me with lust-filled eyes.

"You could take me from behind," he said with a smirk. I gave a look of surprise at the fact that he, too, was so eager to try it, but by no means was I complaining.

“Well, if you insist…” I replied in a low voice before shifting up and passionately pressing my lips to his.

Smirking into the kiss with excitement, I slid my hand beneath the waistband of his pants and boxers to touch and caress his erection. Without parting my mouth from his, it was mere moments before he was fully hard and panting heavily. Grinning, I pulled back and looked straight into his eyes.

“Turn around,” I whispered to him in a low voice. Nodding shakily, he obliged, and, giving me a quick peck on the lips, flipped so that he was lying stomach-down on the bed, his face tilted to the side as he buried his head in the pillow. Silently, I placed myself directly behind him and leaned forward, placing my hands on either side of him. I bent down and placed a kiss between his shoulder blades, causing him to shiver slightly.

“Ahh…” he moaned at the touch. I couldn’t help but quiver, too, at the sounds he made. Everything about him was so beautiful: his pale skin; his soft, white-blond hair; his tender personality; his kindness; and, especially in this moment, his voice.

Pressing my hips to his backside, I let him know just how hard I was, and heard him gasp softly at the pressure.

“Abel…” I muttered to him, grinding my clothed erection against him slowly. “...I need you so bad right now.” Panting, he tilted his head a bit so he could look up at me with half-lidded eyes.

“...Then take me,” he said.

Gazing down at Abel, taking in his sweet smell and the beauty of him in such a fragile and anxious state, I would gladly take him. There was nothing else I wanted at that moment. All I desired was him, and for him to desire me in turn.

Grazing my hands down his sides, I tucked the thumb and forefinger of each hand under the waistband of his sweatpants and underwear, and slid them down, revealing his cute butt as I undressed him.

Once the clothing on the lower half of his body was removed, Abel was completely naked. Staring up at me and scanning me up and down, it was obvious that he wanted me to undress as well. Smiling down at him, I happily took off my thin t-shirt, being sure to keep my eyes locked on him as I did so.

Once my torso was completely bared, I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly as Abel gazed up at me, his jaw slightly agape.

“Like what you see?” I asked in a low voice. A deep shade of red covering his face, Abel turned to look away.

“S-shut up…” he retorted with embarrassment.

Leaning back down over Abel again, I pet his hair softly with one hand, while wrapping my other arm around his slender waist.

“Come on, Princess, let me know you want it,” I cooed into his ear. “Don’t be shy. I want to know how you feel…”

Before he could reply, though, I surprised him suddenly by lifting him up into a kneeling position, tucking my face into the crook of his neck and kissing it while I pumped his erection.

“Ahh… Cain, ahh…” he moaned as I pleasured him.

“Unbutton my jeans for me, will ya?” I muttered to him as I left small lovemarks just beneath his earlobe.

Giving a quick nod, Abel shakily slid a hand down my bare chest and stomach, down to the button of my pants. Finally managing to undo it after a moment or so of fidgeting with the small piece of metal, Abel then slipped his hand down beneath the fabric and pulled out my erection, pumping it in time as I did his.

Before I could let him make me cum, though, I gently nudged him so he was back to laying face-down on the bed, and reached my arm out over him to grab the tiny bottle of lube that was on the bedside table. Quickly uncapping it, I heard Abel hiss a bit at the coldness of the liquid as I poured a healthy amount onto his backside.

“You ready?” I asked him softly. Nodding fervently, Abel let me position him so that I had a better access to his entrance. And, using one hand to hold Abel’s hips steady and the other to guide myself inside, I slowly entered him.

Taking quick and faint breaths, I could tell Abel was trying his best to relax his muscles so I could completely sheath myself inside him. God, he was so hot.

Not wanting to waste any time, I pulled my hips back just enough so that just the tip of my length was left inside of Abel, and then thrust back in completely, earning a moan of sudden pleasure from him.

“Shit…!” he cursed, causing me to smile. Seeing him writhe beneath me only made me want him even more.

Starting slowly, but increasing in speed each time, I continued thrusting into Abel, relishing in the sounds that fell across his lips. With every thrust, I could hear his bed creak slightly, mixing perfectly with the moans and whimpers he released.

Panting and letting out small hints of moans, I positioned Abel’s hips even higher, and suddenly, I hit him exactly where he liked it.

“Cain! Oh my god… Ah!” he half-screamed with pleasure and tightened his grip on the sheets as I proceeded to hit the same spot excitedly. At the unexpected pleasure coming from his prostate, Abel couldn’t help but tense up and ride the feeling, tightening up on my erection as I continued to thrust in and out of him.

“Fuck… ah… Abel…” I moaned as I felt my release coming.

“Cain… I…” Abel stuttered. I softened my thrusts a bit so he could speak better. “I… your hand…” He didn’t even have to finish the sentence for me to understand, though. I already knew. I slowly snaked an arm around his waist and wrapped my fingers around his cock again. And, keeping a hand on him so that he and I could cum around the same time, I traced my other up Abel’s torso and arm and rested it on his own hand, intertwining our fingers. It made sense that he would want to hold my hand as we reached release, since in this position we weren’t able to look at each other very easily.

At the new feeling of our hands grasping one another, though, I could suddenly feel a pressure in my abdomen, and I knew that it would only be seconds before I reached my climax. Gripping Abel’s hand as tightly as I could and thrusting hard into him, I came with a loud moan, my vision completely blinded by pleasure.

“Ah… hah…” I panted, riding out the orgasm. Judging by Abel’s cries, I could tell that he had reached climax as well, and he refused to let go of my hand until the feeling subsided.

Panting heavily, I plopped down onto the bed next to Abel, my chest rising and falling with every breath I took.

“Ahh… you’re amazing,” Abel gasped as he turned his head to look over at me. I smiled.

“Glad you think so,” I replied, “But you’re the one who gets me like this.” Abel gave a look of surprise.

“Like what?” he asked, I snorted.

“Horny, obviously.” Abel blushed fiercely.

“O-oh…” he mumbled in response.

Laughing, I draped an arm over him and pulled him close to me. Leaning my face close to his, I pressed our lips together in a soft kiss. As our mouths danced against one another, though, we were suddenly interrupted by a ringtone coming from next to the bed.

“Who in the flaming fuck…” I cursed. Sighing heavily, Abel reached out to grab his phone and see who was calling. Looking at the screen, his expression became confused.

“It’s… Elena?” he said questioningly. “I had better answer.” Groaning, I slid my arm off of Abel so he could sit up on the bed. Elena was nice and everything, but calling Abel in the middle of our afterglow was unforgivable.

“Hey, what’s up?” Abel said to the phone as he slid on his underwear.

To be honest, I was somewhat curious as to what Elena was calling him for, and so I tried interpreting the mumbling sounds coming from the phone, but was unsuccessful.

I would know soon enough, though.

“What…?!” Abel suddenly exclaimed into the phone, catching me off-guard.

He stood up, and began pacing back and forth, all while listening to Elena on the other end. When he finally hung up, he dropped his arm to his side and looked at me.

“I have to go,” he said, hastily grabbing a pair of jeans out of his dresser and pulling them on. He shoved his phone in his pocket before bending over and snatching his shirt off the floor and pulling it over his head. As he ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it, he spun around in circles, obviously looking for something.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing up and walking over to him.

“Where’s my phone?” he asked.

“It’s in your pocket. Abel!” I said, grabbing his shoulders to make him stand still. He looked up at me, tears forming in his eyes. “What happened?”

“There was an accident and…” he hiccupped and pushed my arms off his shoulders.

“And what?” I pressed, grabbing his jacket off the couch before before turning around to hand it to him.

“My mom’s in the hospital,” he said, wiping the tears from his face and grabbing his keys off his desk. “I have to go. I’ll let you know which hospital she’s at. Close the door when you leave, please.”

Before I could say anything further, he was gone and out the door.

 

 

* * *

 

Hospitals were the absolute worst. The fact that you could smell the illness in the air, and practically hear people dying, was sickening. I avoided hospitals as best I could, but this time was special. Despite my hatred of hospitals, and the bad memories that I had with them, I wanted to be there for Abel. I couldn’t let him be alone, especially if things with his mother ended badly.

After I had gotten off the bus and rode the elevator down to the ER, I asked one of the nurses at the front desk where Abel and his family would be. After a few minutes of walking down the bright white halls, I rounded a corner and saw Elena coming out of a waiting room. Upon seeing me, she smiled, and quickly poked her head back into the room.

“Abel, honey, there’s someone here to see you,” I heard her say. She gave me a half smile as she walked past me. Soon after, Abel emerged from the room and immediately threw his arms around me and buried his face in my chest.

“How bad is it?” I asked quietly, burying my face in his sweet-smelling hair. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at me.

“Well, the doctor said that she, uh, has a severe concussion and her face has cuts from the glass, bruises, a fractured arm and I think that’s it…” he trailed off. He was obviously under a lot of stress, frustrated, and worried out of his mind. He could barely speak in normal sentences was talking faster than normal.

“Oh, Princess,” I said, pulling him close again. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked up at me.

“I guess her airbag didn’t go off when the car collided with her,” he said quietly. “That’s why it’s so bad. She’s… well, for now she is unconscious.” I grimaced. It was lucky that nothing worse had happened, but that didn’t mean Abel’s mom was in the clear yet. Unconscious was by every definition, not a good thing, and there definitely was the possibility that she could become comatose and not wake up. Regretting that I automatically was thinking the worst, I gave a heavy sigh.

“Do you need anything?” I asked, bringing a hand up to his face and cupping his cheek.

“I would really like some coffee,” he replied, leaning into my touch slightly and gazing up at me. I nodded and pressed my lips against his forehead.

“I’ll be right back, Princess,” I said before turning and walking back down the hall to the elevators.

I hated to see him cry, be it from fear, happiness, or general sadness. I didn’t ever want to see him like that, _ever_. I was going to do my damndest to make sure that he wouldn’t get hurt. I was going to protect him. After all, it was the least I could do after everything he had done for me in the past few months.

I finally made it to the cafeteria and quickly made my way over to the small café. I ordered Abel’s drink and fiddled with the cup sleeve as I waited for the barista to finish constructing it. Soon, I had the hot beverage in my hand and made my way back upstairs. I raised the cup to my lips and took a sip as I walked down the hall toward the waiting room. Abel was sitting on the floor outside the door and looked up at me when I approached him.

As I looked at him, though, I noticed part of his face was reddish in color, but I said nothing. I didn’t want to upset him any more than he already was.

“How does it taste?” he asked with a small smile, gesturing to the coffee. I shrugged and handed the cup to him. Sitting down next to him, I bent one leg up to my chest and stretched the other out across the tiled floor.

“It tastes better secondhand,” I said. He gave me a look as he took a drink.

“What do you mean ‘secondhand?’” he asked after swallowing. I bent down and pressed our lips together briefly.

“It tastes much better when it comes off your lips,” I replied. He smiled slightly before turning away. We sat in silence, listening to the different monitors beeping in the distance, the quiet chatter coming from the waiting room, and the occasional nurse shuffling by. I briefly wondered why we weren’t sitting in the waiting room with the rest of his family, but quickly pushed the thought aside.

After Abel finished his coffee, he tossed the empty cup in the trash can next to us and leaned his head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.

“I’m not ready to lose her, Cain…” he said quietly, staring at the floor. I sighed and kissed the top of his head.

“I know, Princess.”

“I just… I don’t know what I would do if…” He cut himself off with a loud sob and buried his face in my chest again. He grasped the fabric of my shirt in his hands. The only thing I could do was hold him close and tight as his sobs shook his body.

“I know how you feel,” I said after he had calmed down a bit. He instantly pulled back and stared at me.

“No, you don’t,” he snapped, catching me off-guard. “You didn’t give two shits about whether or not your parents were alive until two weeks ago. They were never fucking around, so you wouldn’t know what it’s like to have them, let alone lose them!”

“Abel--” I started. He jerked away from me and stood up.

“Don’t even _try_ to empathize with me, Cain!” he shouted, pointing an angry finger at me. “You have _no fucking clue_ what I am going through! You don’t know what it’s like to have to sit here and wonder if you’re ever going to be able to hug your mother again, or even something as simple as telling her that you love her! I’m just waiting for some stranger to come in here and tell me that she’s gone and pretend to care and I’m not _fucking_ ready for that!” After he finished, he turned on his heel and stormed off down the hall toward the elevators.

A part of me thought that I should go after him, but another part, the sensible one, told me that it was best that I left him alone for a while. So I did. I sat there on the cold, tile floor, and watched as he angrily pounded the call button and stood there with his arms crossed. After he stepped into the lift, he turned and looked at me. He raised a hand to his face and quickly swiped the tears away as the doors slid shut. As soon as he disappeared, his words instantly ran through my mind again.

 _I do understand,_ I thought to myself. I was at the hospital when my grandmother died back then.

My parents were away on business over in who-knows-where, again, and I was the one that the doctors had to go to when she had passed away. Me, alone, in the waiting room of the Mariinsky Hospital, suddenly living all on my own at the age of fifteen. I couldn’t even bring myself to go home that night. Instead, I went and started hanging out with the wrong sort of people: some kids who I went to school with who were into some really bad shit.

It was nothing I really wanted to recall, though, especially right then, when things were already at a low point with Abel’s mom.

I stood up from the floor and was just about to make my way over to the waiting room to study and pass some time, when a familiar figure rounded the hallway corner and approached me at a surprisingly quick pace.

“Abel’s dad… I mean, uh, Professor,” I muttered in an uncertain greeting. The middle-aged man’s expression was somewhat hard to read, but he looked either sad because of his wife’s current state, or he appeared to be angry, but I didn’t know why that would be.

However, my thoughts were quickly answered when the Professor got right up in my face and shoved me up against the wall.

“What the--?!” I groaned, grabbing at the older man’s arms to try and pry myself free. The Professor glared directly into my eyes.

“Why are you here?” he demanded.

“W-what?” I questioned. What the hell was going on with him?

“You do not belong here right now. This is a strictly family matter.”

“I was just trying to…” I sputtered at Abel’s dad.

“To what?”

“Comfort Abel! I mean, you should understand best, right?” I argued. “Your wife just got into a car accident! Abel’s not sure whether or not he will be seeing his mother ever again. Not to mention he has been alone for the majority of his life…”

“Alone? That’s preposterous,” he retorted. “I have always been there for my son, always watching out for him and guiding him to what is best for him.” I growled.

“What’s best for him? Or best for you?”

At this, the Professor furrowed his eyebrows in anger, and tightened his grip on me. Despite being an old fart, he really did have some strong arms. Either that, or he really was incredibly angry.

And then it dawned on me.

“You…” I muttered, staring up at the Professor. “...You hit Abel, didn’t you? Just now, before I came back with his coffee.” That must have been why one side of his face had a red tint to it.

“...He needed to know that being with you was not what was best for him,” he replied bluntly. My eyes widened in surprise.

“You mean…”

“Yes, I know what you and my son have been doing during your ‘tutoring sessions’,” the Professor admitted. “It came to my attention just today, actually. And under no circumstances is it going to continue.”

Suddenly, though, a heat started to fill my chest, and I couldn’t get over the fact that the Professor would stoop so low as to beat his own son. Staring into his eyes, I growled angrily.

“So you _beat_ him?! What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!” I shouted, trying to wriggle my way out of his grasp. “There’s absolutely _nothing_ in this world that justifies hurting Abel! He’s your son for Christ’s sake!”

This guy… had he been abusing Abel before this? Is that why Abel was so obedient? Was that the reason he was so reserved? And to think, I had been teasing him about it for so long…

But now, all that secrecy and false trust that Abel built up as defense against his dad was gone. The Professor knew about us. Someone had told him.

It was that stupid fucking Phobos kid. I knew right away that it was him who had told the Professor about me and Abel. Who else could it have possibly been?

Fuck, it was stupid of me to think that I could prevent Phobos from telling just by threatening him.

“Fuckass…” I muttered. Abel’s father scowled down at me.

“What did you call me?” he demanded. Glaring up and meeting his gaze, I smirked.

“Y’know, Mr. Abel’s Dad,” I began, “You’re sorely mistaken if you think you know the first thing about what Abel wants.” He frowned.

“Why you little…”

“But you know what? I do. In fact, over the past few months, I’ve learned quite a few things about him, things he has purposely kept secret from you.”

“Garbage like you has no right to be around my son,” the Professor interrupted.

“Maybe not, but that’s what I’ve been doing,” I retorted.

“He will no longer be permitted to teach you any longer, Cain.” he said bluntly. I merely chuckled up at him, completely and totally done with his bullshit.

“Which reminds me,” I muttered in a defiant tone. “If I may be perfectly honest, I think I’ve been teaching him a _lot_ more than he could ever teach me.”

At this remark, I could actually hear the Professor _growl_ at me _._ Shifting his hand up more so that it gripped around my throat, he leaned in, his hot breath on my cheek.

“Tell me you haven’t touched a hair on his head,” he commanded as my breath started to become weaker.

“Then… I’d be lying.”

The Professor looked like he was about to explode. I could see in his eyes that there was nothing he’d rather do right then and there than choke me to death for taking his son’s virginity. But there was also something behind that. He also knew, deep down, that I was teaching Abel to think for himself. I was showing him exactly how to make his own choices. I never had to answer to parents, and I was passing that freedom on to Abel.

After a few more moments of intense silence, though, the Professor surprisingly let me go. As I tried catching my breath, he spoke one last time.

“You have to end your relationship with him, as soon as you possibly can. You have barely known my son for four months. Get out of his life _now_ and he will be able to get over it sooner. You and I both know that it’s what’s best for him. If you break it off with him of your own accord, then I will make things easier for the both of you. However, if you don’t…” he leaned in, his eyes burning with anger, “...then I will be forced to take drastic measures.”

With that, he pulled away from me, his glare ever-present, and he stomped away from me, his footsteps piercingly clear as they clicked on the tile hospital floor.

As he turned down the end of the hallway, though, I realized what his breath had smelled like when he had his face so close to mine. It was all too familiar. But frankly, it didn’t surprise me.

He reeked of alcohol.


	13. Abel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for being so positive and supportive of EinfachNiemand and me! We literally write every single day, and seeing such nice comments pop up when we update makes it all worthwhile. In addition, my jaw dropped when I saw we had over 1,000 hits! I hope that they keep on increasing and that everyone who follows this story will continue to enjoy it <3 Again, thank you, lovelies!

**Chapter 13**

**Abel**

 

The early February air was chilly as I sat out on the roof the parking garage of the Memorial Hospital. Luckily, I had my jacket with me, but my hands were extremely cold after only being outside for a mere five minutes. I rubbed them together and stuffed them against my sides to keep them warm. The coldness of the air, though, couldn’t possibly match the cold emptiness I felt on the inside.

Come to think of it, it seemed like snapping at Cain like that only made the void in my chest deeper. I never actually meant the things I shouted at him. So, why did I say them in the first place? The past few hours felt like they weren’t even real. I felt as if I was somehow possessed; like I wasn’t even the same person. Perhaps it was part of being in shock and denial. I wasn’t sure.

However, the freezing air did manage to help me clear my mind a bit. The ice storm that had been going on practically all day had subsided, and now the sky was calm, allowing me to get a decent view of the night sky. I was always at peace when I could see the stars, and right now that was all I needed. Especially considering how chaotic this day had become. There was my mother’s current condition, my newly formed tension with Cain, and, not to mention, my father.

He knew. It seemed unreal that he did.

 

_After Cain had left me in the hallway to go get coffee, I leaned against the wall and slowly sunk to the floor. Not soon after, my father rounded the corner and approached me._

_“Any more news about Mom?” I asked him eagerly, standing up. Looking down at me with bleak eyes, he shook his head._

_“No,” he muttered to me. “But that’s not why I want to talk to you.”  Raising a questioning eyebrow, I asked what it was he wanted to say. “Abel… You can’t tutor Cain any longer,” he said bluntly. I felt my stomach do a backflip._

_“W-what do you mean?” I asked with a shaky voice._

_“I know what’s been going on between the two of you, and it’s going to stop,” he said. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears._

_“No,” I replied with as much authority as I could muster._

_“Excuse me?” my dad said, staring down at me with a surprised look._

_“I said no,” I repeated, folding my arms across my chest. “It’s not going to stop.”_

_“Do not argue with me, Abel.”_

_“I will if you’re trying to get in the way of my happiness!” I retorted, glowering up at him. “Why does it even matter if I’m in a relationship with Cain, anyways?”_

_“Because I refuse to have a faggot for a son,” he replied bluntly. Taken aback at the answer, I had to recollect myself before speaking again._

_“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to get over it, because it is not going to stop. Under no circumstances am I going to let you dictate who I am allowed to love. I am twenty years old; I’m not a child. You can’t tell me how to live my life anymore.” Looking down at me with fire in his eyes, my father pulled me by the collar of my shirt._

_“Don’t you dare try to defy me, Abel. You know I will never allow this. Whether it be by peaceful or violent measures, I will make sure that you never see that boy again.”_

_“Well I sure as hell am not giving him up that easily,” I replied simply, pushing his hands away and staring him straight in the eyes. “So I guess you’re gonna have to go with violence. After all, it never bothered you in the past.”_

_At this, my father growled, and before I even had time to react, he brought a hand up and struck me across the face. The smacking sound echoed through the hallway, and the stinging pain of the blow rippled through me, but I didn’t let it affect me, at least not on the outside. Rubbing my aching cheek, I continued to glare daggers up at my father._

_“You insufferable boy,” he snarled. “I’m trying to help you. That’s what I’ve been trying to do ever since you were born.”_

_“Help me?!” I retorted in disbelief. “You’re out of your mind.”_

_“No, Abel, you’re the one who doesn’t know any better! Do you know what would happen if you continued your relationship with him like this?! You’d be ridiculed. You’d be cast out. No one would ever hire you. You’d end up living on the streets. What good would Cain be to you then? He obviously isn’t successful, especially if he needs a tutor to help him learn what he is trying to become a professional in.”_

_“You know nothing about Cain!” I argued, my voice rising with every word. “And you’re stupid if you think I wouldn’t be able to find a job. Believe it or not, Dad, the rest of the world doesn’t think like you do!” Suddenly, my father became quiet. Looking down at the floor, he lowered his voice._

_“Abel… please. You can’t continue this. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Break it off. For me…” Scoffing, I pushed him away._

_“No. I’m done doing things for you. It’s time I did something for myself.”_

_Looking hurt, he didn’t say another word. He simply stood there for a moment, staring at me as if I wasn’t from this planet. Suddenly, though, the anger returned to his face, and he stormed back down the hallway off to god knows where._

 

The crisp air had intensified the pain on my cheek, but it didn’t bother me much. My mind was in other places. As I stared out over the city lights glinting off the freshly fallen snow, I contemplated whether or not I should tell Cain that my father knew about us. It was probably better that I didn’t for now, considering everything else that was happening around us. I didn’t want to strain our relationship. For now, Cain was one of the only things keeping me sane.

Looking up at the stars and picking out a few constellations, it wasn't long before someone joined me the cold, hard cement. I looked over and saw Cain sitting beside me, staring out over the cityscape.

"How did I know I'd find you up here?" he asked quietly.

"It's the only place with a view..." I said with a shrug. He nodded at my response and cracked a small smile. After a few moments of silence I spoke again, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, finally looking at me.

"I didn't mean what I said back there. I'm just frustrated and scared and I took it out on you." He looked at me, placing his warm hand on my cold one.

“I know, I’ve been known to do the same thing sometimes,” he explained. “I knew right away you didn’t mean any of it.”

I couldn't help but give a small smile when he said that. Cain, while being extremely hot-headed and temperamental, could also be understanding when he needed to be. I was thankful for that, especially right now.

"Cain..." I muttered, staring out at the streetlights below us. "What will I do if my mom doesn't make it?" He sighed deeply before answering.

"To tell you the truth, you'll cry. You'll cry for a long time. You might even cry years from now, when you're old and maybe have your own kids. The pain if you end up losing her will never go away completely. You’ll see something that will remind you of her, and the pain will come back, if only for a moment. It will always be there, pricking at the back of your mind, and it will always feel as if something is missing. Going home won’t feel right anymore, because she won’t be there to greet you. Birthdays and holidays will feel empty because her presence is missing. You’ll start to wish that you could do some things over, like tell her you loved her more often, or take back something you said in a fit of anger." I felt my heart clench at his words, but deep down I knew he was right.

"But," he continued, gripping my hand tightly, "that doesn't mean that the sadness won't eventually diminish. Sure, when pain is fresh, it'll feel like there's nothing you can do, but as time passes you'll learn to move on and live without her. That's just how it goes." I nodded slowly to assure him I was listening.

"And then..." Cain continued to speak, raising a hand and pulling my face gently to look at him, "you will eventually find someone who can help to partially fill that void. Someone who grows into your heart and becomes a part of you. Someone who'll make you so happy you will be able to almost completely forget the bad things that happened before you met them."

Gazing at Cain, my jaw dropped a bit. I had completely forgotten that he had lost his grandmother. He really _did_ know what it was like to lose someone so close… But then, when he was talking about finding someone who could help take the pain away… did he mean me? Did he really think that about me? It was astonishing to imagine he might actually care that deeply. I felt my heart clench in my chest, and before I knew it, warm tears were falling down my face.

Noticing right away that I was crying, Cain's eyes widened and he caressed my face with concern.

"Are you okay, Princess?" he asked me as he pulled me closer to him. No matter how much I tried, though, I couldn't answer him. I was too full of emotion, my feelings for Cain and my worry for my mother and my anger at my father all conflicting with one another.

Not knowing what else to do, I buried my face into Cain's shoulder and cried, my tears wetting his jacket. He didn't seem to care in the least, though, and simply proceeded to wrap his arms around me in a warm embrace, petting my hair as my sobs wracked my body.

"It's okay..." he whispered to me as I cried. "...You're not going to lose her. I can tell." Nodding to show I heard him, I still couldn't bring myself to form words. For a long time, I just stayed there, entrapped in the safety of Cain's arms, sobbing. I could have stayed there forever.

However, once I had calmed down, Cain tilted my face up and looked into my eyes.

"Abel..." he whispered to me.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Can I ask you something?" he muttered in a serious tone. What did he want to ask? It sounded like it was important. Giving him a questioning look, I nodded, allowing him to continue.

"Well, I was thinking, and we've known each other for a long time now, so I thought I should take another step," he began, averting his eyes a bit. Oh my god. Was he gonna ask what I thought he was going to ask? He continued. "And I really want to know..." I inhaled deeply, my mind screaming for him to just fucking ask the question. "...What's your favorite color?"

"What?" I asked, suddenly confused.

"What's your favorite color," he repeated. I blinked a couple times before I actually processed what he had asked.

"...Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked incredulously. Cain snorted.

"No, Princess, I'm serious," he replied with a smile. "I realized the other day that I didn't know, along with some other things about you."

“Green,” I said, bluntly, and gestured to my bangs, “Hence the highlights.”

“Right,” he responded, nodding.

“And I assume yours must be blue, am I right?” I asked him with a smirk.

“Actually, I think it’s a tie between blue and red,” he admitted, chuckling. I raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Is there any reason why?” He thought for a moment.

“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it. You just are _attracted_ to a color, you know? I suppose…” he put his hand up to his face as he pondered, “...it’s because they are both really passionate colors.” I smiled, surprised at his answer. At the same time, though, I think both colors suited Cain. Red was the color of anger, but also love. Blue was the color of the sky, but it was also incredibly deep like the ocean.

“That’s very poetic of you,” I told him with a giggle.

“Shut up,” he muttered, obviously a bit embarrassed at my comment. Subsiding my laughter, I spoke up again.

“Anything else you wanted to know about me?” I asked, leaning closer to Cain.

“Let’s see… I already know about your pets. Or rather, your pet… fucking Gary,” he muttered, causing me to laugh again.

“What’s wrong with Gary?” I asked. He held his hands up.

“Nothing, nothing! The fact that he’s an iguana named Gary is just… weird.” I looked up at him expectantly.

“Did you forget though? You also said that I’m weird too.”

“I’d ever be able to forget how weird _you_ are,” he retorted with a smirk.

“Any other questions?” I asked.

“Well, uh… when’s your birthday?” My jaw dropped a little.

“We don’t know each others’ birthdays?!” I exclaimed in surprise. “It completely slipped my mind…”

“Yeah, me too, until I remembered a few days ago,” Cain replied. “So, what is it?”

“October fourth,” I responded simply. “How about you?”

“August third.”

“Damn, you’re really young for a freshman,” I commented.

“And you’re really old for a sophomore,” Cain replied with a chuckle.

“Wait, does that make me a cougar?” I asked, pouting. Cain threw his head back with laughter.

“Yes, it does! I guess I like older men!” he exclaimed between his chuckles. Unable to hold it back, I quickly joined him, holding my stomach as I laughed.

As we continued to talk, I learned lots of new things about Cain. It turned out that after he had graduated from his school in St. Petersburg, he hadn’t actually planned on going to college, but his father was good friends with Dean Bering, and Cain had been offered a hefty scholarship to go to Sleipnir University. When I asked him about pets and such, Cain admitted that he actually had wanted to get a snake ever since he was a kid.

“They’re badass!” he said with enthusiasm. Meanwhile, all I could do was make a gross face at the mention of snakes.

“But they’re just so… slimy,” I replied with a shiver.

“No they’re not!” Cain retorted. “Don’t hate them until you’ve actually held one.” Just imagining it gave me a queasy feeling.

In addition to many other things, I also learned that Cain had a cat back at home in Russia.

“His name’s Sacha,” Cain explained. “I got him a few months after my grandma died, because it was so quiet living alone.”

“Where is he now that you’re here?” I asked.

“He’s living with a good friend of mine,” Cain answered simply.

Wait, could that friend be the one he met with on Christmas Eve? It was definitely possible. I desperately wanted to ask him about it.

Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to speak.

"Cain, who exactly is..."

Before I could finish my question, though, my phone started ringing in my pocket. Fishing the device out and looking at the caller ID, my eyes widened in surprise.

"It's Elena!" I exclaimed, quickly sliding my thumb across the screen to answer. Turning to face me, Cain eagerly waited to see what she was calling about.

"Hello?" I said into the speaker. On the other end, Elena seemed to be out of breath.

"Abel, your mom, she..."

"She... what?" I asked, expecting the worst.

"She finally woke up!" Elena exclaimed. I gave a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank god..." I muttered. “How is she?”

"She's in room 521 now, resting, if you'd like to come and see her," Elena explained. Giving her a quick 'yes' and ending the call, I turned to face Cain, my eyes watering up again.

"She woke up..." I muttered. Giving me a wide grin, Cain stood up, and held out a hand to me.

"Then let's go see her," he said encouragingly. Nodding and wiping my face with my jacket sleeve, I grabbed his hand and let him pull me up, and together we rushed down to the fifth floor to where my mother was.

 

* * *

 

Upon entering the white hospital room, I froze when I saw my mother in the bed. She looked incredibly different. Her face had dozens of little cuts on it, probably from the glass; she had gauze wrapped around her head; and her left arm had been put into a big, heavy-looking cast. I wanted to look away, but I was able to easily suppress the urge when I saw her look over to Cain and me in the doorway with a big smile.

"Abel, honey, come here," she chirped. Obliging, I walked over to the side of her bed, trying to keep myself from crying again.

"Mom..." was all I could manage to say. Giggling softly, she reached her arm that wasn't wounded up and caressed my cheek gently.

"Be careful, the roads are slippery," she joked. I gave a small smile at her humor.

“You’re one to talk,” I half-heartedly chided before leaning in and pulling her into a big hug. Nestling my face into her wavy, sweet-smelling hair, I thanked every god in existence that she was all right. Sure, she was a little beat-up, but she was alive.

“Cain, have you been here with Abel this entire time?” my mother addressed to him as I pulled out of our embrace. Standing over in the corner of the room, Cain looked up.

“Oh, umm, yeah,” he stuttered a bit. “I was concerned for him, so I came as soon as I knew which hospital to go to.” At this, my mother’s face lit up.

“That’s so sweet of you, dear,” she chirped. “It’s a breath of fresh air to see Abel with such a good friend.”

“It’s no problem, really…” he replied with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head. It was obvious that he was feeling a bit awkward at the praise from my mother, considering we were past being ‘just friends’.

But then again, we weren’t _boyfriends_ either…

My mind wandered back to the argument with my father. I wondered what exactly he would do now that I’d told him I wouldn’t break it off with Cain. Some ideas came to mind, but in total honesty, I had no clue. That scared the hell out of me.

“What time is it?” my mother asked me. Taking out my phone, I checked the clock.

“Wow, it’s almost midnight…” I muttered. I was surprised that no nurses had told us to leave yet, since visiting hours had probably ended a long time ago. However, my mother’s case was probably an exception, at least for today.

Putting her slender hand on my own, my mom looked up at me.

“You should go and get some rest,” she advised. “It’s late, and you have school tomorrow, don’t you?” Thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

“No, Mom, tomorrow’s Saturday.” My mother gave a surprised expression before laughing softly.

“I guess I hit my head harder than I thought,” she replied. Patting her hand, I stood up from the bed.

“I do feel drained, though…” I admitted, rubbing my forehead. “...It’s been a long day.”

“We can go, if you want to,” Cain offered. I nodded, turning to my mother one last time.

“Will you be alright if I leave for now?” I asked. Smiling, she nodded.

“Of course I will, you go on ahead,” she responded. “Also, your father is somewhere walking around… I think he said he’s going to stay the night.”

“Good, that’s good,” I replied quickly, trying to stay off the topic of my dad.

Leaning over my mom, I gave her one last hug and kiss goodbye, and exited the room with Cain, feeling as though a huge weight had just been lifted off of my shoulders.

As we walked hand-in-hand out through the front entrance of the hospital into the cold winter air, I could’ve sworn I had caught a glimpse of my father down one of the adjacent halls, glaring at us as we passed.

Part of me cringed at realizing that he had seen Cain and I holding hands, while the other part just thought that he could go fuck himself.

 

* * *

 

By the time Cain and I got back to campus, it was already almost one in the morning. Together, we made our way down the sidewalk from the bus stop, our hands still intertwined.

As we walked, a multitude of thoughts swirled through my mind. So much had happened in the past few hours that I wasn’t too sure what to make of it. It was good that my mother would make a full recovery, but the issue with my dad still remained.

He said he would do anything to make sure I never saw Cain again… What a bastard. Even if he was my father, he had no right to try and break my relationship with someone I cared about. Why he would even try to break us up was beyond me. None of his arguments were valid.

It was almost like he was trying to turn me into a carbon copy of himself. Everything I did, everything I said, was always comparable to his own choices in his mind. Even when I told him I wanted to become an engineer and work for NASA, he was reluctant to let me follow through with it. He had said that it ‘wasn’t a stable job’, and that I should become a professor like he had, because there was always a need for teachers. Eventually, though, with enough persuasion and discussion (and help from my mother), he reluctantly gave in.

My relationship with Cain, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. When it came to me wanting to be an engineer, my father let me do it because it was still considered to be a ‘respectable’ field of work. However, he would probably never accept my relationship with Cain, simply because he was a man. It sickened me to think that there were still people out there who completely dismissed the idea of same-sex couples.

But then, come to think of it, Cain and I weren’t really a couple… At least, we hadn’t discussed becoming one.

I wondered what he would say if I asked him to make our relationship exclusive. If he said yes, then I might be able to come out to my mother and get her support on the issue. If he didn’t, though, I could lose him…

Suddenly, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“Cain?” I spoke quietly. He gave me a look that told me to continue. “...He knows,” I said.

“Who knows what?” Cain asked, confused. I sighed heavily.

“My dad knows about us,” I replied quietly. He let out a long sigh, his breath visible from the cold.

“What did he say?” he asked. I shrugged.

“Basically that he wasn’t going to tolerate having a faggot for a son. I told him to get over himself. He didn’t like that very much,” I said, staring at the ground.

“Is that why he hit you?” My jaw dropped and I looked up at him with wide eyes.

“How did you…” I started. He turned his head and frowned at me.

“You had a handprint on your face, Abel. I’ve been hit enough times to know what that looks like.” I didn’t say anything.

“Abel,” he pressed.

“What?” I asked quietly.

“Has he done that before?” asked Cain, his eyes full with worry. I deeply inhaled the cold air before speaking.

“I didn’t used to be such a law-abiding strict follower of rules,” I explained to him. “I back-talked and disobeyed just like any other kid. Every time I did, though, I got a slap to the face because he didn’t like it. Sometimes it was for petty things like not putting the cereal box away, or even bringing home anything short of perfect grades,” I paused and took a deep, shaky breath before continuing.

“As a teenager, I started sneaking out, just because I could. When he found out, I got the shit beaten out of me. After that, I limited my rule breaking and rarely ever did anything to upset him, for fear of him taking it out on someone else, specifically my mom. Tonight was the first time since before I graduated that he’s hit me.”

When I was finished, I looked up at Cain. He looked beyond pissed and was silent for what felt like an eternity. After his anger had passed, though, he tightened his grip on my hand and placed a kiss to the side of my head.

“If he tries anything like that again, even if I’m not around, I’ll bash his fucking face in, I swear to god. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind,” he said. Laughing softly, I shook my head.

“If he were to try, I’d let you,” I replied simply before stopping Cain in his tracks and pulling his head down to press my lips to his.

Leaning into the kiss, Cain wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace. It was perfect. Everything he did was perfect. He was perfect, even if he had flaws. I guess when you cared about someone so much, you learned to look past the small things.

“Cain?” I asked after pulling away.

“Yeah, Princess?” he answered quietly. I opened my eyes and looked up at him.

“Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t really feel like being alone right now.”

“Of course I will,” he replied with a smile before giving me a quick peck on the lips. “Wait, won’t Ethos be there?” Cain questioned. I grinned.

“Actually, no. He and Praxis are… uh, having a sleepover in your room right now.” Cain frowned.

“If they tip over my CD case while they’re getting freaky again, I swear to god…” he muttered, earning a giggle from me. “Wait, how do you know what they’re doing?” he asked.

“I was texting Ethos on the bus, doofus. He told me to tell you not to come home.”

“That little shit,” Cain cursed. Laughing, I took his hand again, and pulled him along in the direction of Beta Omega.

As we walked, a thought suddenly came to my mind.

“Oh! I almost forgot…” I said to Cain, who tilted his head a bit so he could look at me.

“Almost forgot what?”

“Will you be free over spring break?” I asked hopefully. He smiled.

“I can probably take the time off of work if you want, why?” I felt a slight blush rise to my cheeks.

“Well, I know it’s a ways away, but I was wondering if you wanted to go up north with me.” Cain gave me a confused look.

“Up north? For spring break? Don’t college kids usually go to like Mexico and shit?” I cringed and stuck my tongue out.

“Ugh, not me. I’ve heard too many horror stories about Cancun, plus it’ll be packed. Actually, my family has a cabin up in Vermont. It’s right on a lake and everything.” Cain tried stifling a laugh with his free hand. I raised an eyebrow. “Why are you laughing?” I asked.

“It’s just… a cabin? Really?” he replied with a grin.

“What’s wrong with a cabin?” I asked in confusion. He waved his hand in dismissal.

“Nothing’s wrong with it… it’s just so… _American_!” he exclaimed with a giggle. Huffing, I couldn’t help but crack a smile as well.

“Maybe, but if it helps, it’s not really a cabin, per say. It’s the house my… my dad, grew up in when he was a kid.” Cain winced.

“Gross. Aren’t you worried we’ll get a case of douchebag-ness?” he said, earning a laugh from me.

“No, I don’t think so, Cain. And I don’t think that’s even a real word, either.” Cain simply responded with a smile, and squeezed my hand.

As I stared down at the ground and watched as our feet stepped in sync, I heard Cain speak up again.

“Oh, that reminds me, too,” he said. “I just remembered that Valentine’s Day is coming up.”

As my eyes widened in surprise, I felt my jaw drop.

“You’re right! I almost forgot…” Cain snorted in amusement.

“What’s with me remembering so much more shit than you lately?” Turning my gaze back down to look at the sidewalk, I wondered the same thing.

“I’m not sure…” I admitted. “Just a lot of things on my mind, I guess.”

“So much so that you’re not gonna ask if I’m getting you anything for Valentine’s Day?” Cain asked expectantly. Turning to face him, my face brightened up.

“Are you?” I asked him with enthusiasm. Smirking, he kept his gaze facing forward.

“You’ll just have to find out later, now won’t you?”


	14. Cain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Valentine's Day and HamletMachine starting Chapter 4, here is Chapter 14. Hope you enjoy. =)

**Chapter 14**

**Cain**

  
  


_What the hell am I doing?_

I would often ask myself that, even under fairly normal circumstances. Nearly everything I did throughout my life applied to the question. However, in this moment, as I walked through the aisles at the flower shop near campus, the thought wouldn’t stop repeating in my mind. 

It was Valentine’s Day; the ever-popular holiday where lovers give each other cliché gifts, friends buy twenty-four packs of cheap cards and give them to one another, and the unlucky few who are lonely sit at home watching sappy romance films and stuffing their faces with ice cream. Personally, I did none of that. In Russia, we didn’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. Most holidays there were usually devoted to some political leader or revolutionist because, well, it was Russia.

It was mid-afternoon already, I had just finished my classes for the day, and, much to my relief, this little shop by campus town wasn’t completely picked over of all their stock. Deciding quickly, I picked out a tiny, black, square-shaped box filled with assorted chocolate truffles. 

Just as I was about to get into the check-out line, though, the flower display over on the far wall of the store caught my eye. At first, I tried suppressing the idea of buying flowers for Abel, but suddenly changed my mind. Taking long strides over to the display case, I scratched my head, unsure of what the hell I should even get. Upon seeing the price for a bouquet of a dozen roses, my jaw dropped a little. Stupid fucking holiday pricing.

Finally, after standing there for what felt like an eternity, I made my decision, and bent down to pick out a single red rose, whose stem was wrapped in clear plastic and tied with a yellow-green ribbon. Part of me chose a single rose because it was one of the cheaper options, but the other part of my mind decided that a single rose suited Abel, not to mention the color of the ribbon was his favorite color, and it reminded me of him.

After getting through the line and buying everything that I had picked out, I speedily exited the building, wondering to myself whether the cliché was really what I wanted to do for Valentine’s Day. Shaking my doubts from my mind, I realized that deciding now was pointless, considering I had already bought all the damn stuff. 

I made my way over to Alpha Kappa, which happened to be _way_ closer than Noir Hall, and climbed the few steps that led to the front door. Inside, a couple of the brothers were sitting in the living room watching a movie. When I entered, Encke looked up at me.

“What’s in the bag, dude?” he asked, getting the attention of the others.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied, flopping on one of the couches and setting the bag on the floor. In a blur, Pathos jumped up from where he sat and snatched up the bag and peeked inside.

“Let’s see, we got chocolate and--” he started. I growled and lunged toward him. He quickly stepped over the table and fled to the other side of the room.

“Give it back, asshole.”

“Somebody’s got the makings of a Valentine’s Day gift!” he said teasingly. I snarled.

“Shut up, Pathos,” I growled before snatching the bag away from him. I took my phone out and flipped it open to text Abel. 

I was quickly interrupted, however, when Pathos came up behind me and proceeded to not heed my previous warnings about shutting the fuck up. 

“Aww, you even have him as your background!” he exclaimed, reaching for the device. Quickly flinching my hand away, I glared at him. 

“Do you _want_ to lose your fingers?” I asked threateningly. Raising his hands in surrender, Pathos backed up a little. 

“Fine, fine! It’s just too cute, I must admit.”

“I’m pretty sure I just said something about shutting up not even a minute ago,” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You’re such a fucking teacher’s pet, Cain,” he laughed.

“Teacher’s-- what?” I asked in a confused tone. Pathos smirked.

“Abel! He’s your tutor, you spend almost every waking moment with him, you’re buying him chocolates; you’re a teacher’s pet. I really shouldn’t have to explain my jokes, Cain.”

“Aren’t you supposed to get your teacher an apple?” Encke asked. I scoffed.

“He’s not just my teacher,” I said. Pathos let out a loud laugh and flopped back down in the chair.

“He’s also your fuck buddy.”

“Maybe so, but he’s... he’s more than that,” I said simply and walked back over to the door. I don’t know why I came even here in the first place, since I knew they’d just poke fun at me. I placed my hand on the knob and turned back around to face them.

“At least I’m getting laid tonight, unlike some of you motherfuckers,” I said with a confident smirk and walked out the door.

  
  


* * *

  
Abel had asked me to show up at his room at four, so naturally I knocked on his door promptly at 4:15.

Opening the door and peeking out at me, Abel gave a wide smile. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could form words I spoke up.

“Before you say anything,” I said in a shaky voice. “I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day before, so I’m probably not very original, but I wanted to do something special for you, so here.” Holding out my arms stiffly, I offered up the rose and the box of chocolates to Abel.

Looking down at the objects with wide eyes, it was obvious that Abel was taken by surprise. However, he happily took them from me, his stupid grin plastered on his face. 

“Oh my gosh, thank you, Cain…” he said as he smelled the rose. “I had figured you’d probably just be a dork and say that you were my present or something.” I couldn’t help but smirk at the comment.

“No, I thought about it though,” I replied, slowly slinking my arms around Abel’s waist. “But don’t worry, you can still have me later tonight,” I said seductively. Abel’s face turned a bright shade of pink. 

“At least buy me dinner first,” he joked, earning a chuckle from me. 

“I suppose you’re worth it,” I whispered to him before pressing my lips to his. 

Because he was still holding the chocolate and the flower, he was unable to do much of anything as I kissed him. Taking advantage of this, I put one of my hands behind his neck so he couldn’t break away, and kept the other firmly on his sweet ass. 

“Mmm… mnf…” he mumbled into our kiss. It was obvious that he was trying to speak, and I could’ve just ignored him and kept us there forever, but I knew we had to get going if we wanted to get to the restaurant before it got too busy, so I finally let him go. Stepping back, he inhaled deeply, either trying to calm himself down or because he had been deprived of air. Probably both. 

“Stop dawdling,” I teased him. “We should get going.” Glaring at me, Abel retreated back into his room to quickly set my gifts down and put his jacket on.

Once he was ready, Abel quickly closed and locked his door before following me out into the chilly air outside of the house. 

“So where are we going?” he asked enthusiastically, taking my hand in his own. “Will we be taking your bike?” I smirked.

“No, actually. We don’t need a motorcycle to get there.” Abel raised an eyebrow.

“Alright, then how far away is it?” he asked.

“Oh, about a ten-minute walk that way,” I replied matter-of-factly and pointed west. 

“So campus town?” Abel said. I tightened my grip on his hand. 

“Patience, young one,” I replied with a smile. Abel gave me an incredulous look.

“I’m older than you!” 

“Just keep walking, Princess,” I teased, pulling him by the hand to keep up with me.

 

Sure enough, within ten minutes time, Abel and I stood outside the restaurant, our breath visible in the cold air. 

“Mongolian Grill?” Abel asked in surprise. I bit my lip.

“Yeah, it’s really good. I mean, I went here one night with Deimos after a party got busted, and I really liked it a lot, so I thought I’d bring you here.” Abel was silent for a moment. I frowned a bit. “Um, if you’d rather eat somewhere else, though, that’s cool too.” Turning to face me, Abel shook his head.

“No, this is great!” he said, linking his arm with mine. “I’ve just never had Mongolian food before. Is it sort of like Chinese?” I smiled. 

“Yes, but better. Come on.” Leading Abel inside, I quickly picked a booth over in the corner of the restaurant, where the lighting was dimmer. 

The place was the epitome of Asian decor, with paper lanterns and red walls and paintings and scrolls hanging everywhere. Sure, it wasn’t too fancy, but the atmosphere was quaint and cozy, so I figured Abel would like it. 

“It smells really good in here,” Abel commented as he took his seat. “Is that incense?” I nodded, sitting next to him.

“Pretty sure, yeah.” 

It only took a few minutes for us to pick out what we wanted and for our server to take our order. As we waited for our food to be ready, Abel struck up a conversation. 

“I had no idea you had all of this planned out,” he admitted, resting his hand on his cheek and gazing at me. I shrugged.

“It’s not really all that much,” I replied. “The chocolates and stuff weren't super-expensive, and neither is this restaurant.” Abel chuckled.

“That’s alright, Cain. I don’t need super-expensive. I’m just glad you’re doing something.”

“Did you expect me to not do anything?” I asked, a bit downhearted. Abel quickly shook his head.

“No, no! To be honest, I had no clue what to expect.”

“Really?” I asked, urging him on. 

“Really,” he responded. “Lucky for you, you’re still sometimes a bit unreadable to me.” 

"Good," I said with a grin. "I'd hate it if I lost the ability to catch you by surprise." Abel blushed a bit. 

"So," I said, changing the subject, "have you ever gotten things for Valentine's Day before?" Abel laughed.

"Actually..." he muttered, staring off in thought, "...I have!" My jaw dropped.

"Really? When? Who?" I asked with intrigue, earning a smile from Abel.

“The girls in my House last year gave all us guys Valentines,” He said before stopping to think. He let out a loud laugh and continuing. “And then there was this really cute guy. He was a freshman when I was a senior. Really smart, adorable, quiet little thing. He made me a mix-tape and stuffed it in the vent of my locker. It was really sweet, but I turned him down. I still have the tape somewhere.”

“Should I be jealous of this, what? Junior in high school?” I asked. He laughed again.

“No, no. He has a girlfriend now, so I doubt you’ll have to worry about him sweeping me off my feet and carrying me away.” He turned his head and smirked at me. “If anything, he should be jealous of me and the fine piece of ass I managed to catch.”

I snorted loudly and flung my head back as I laughed.

“Did you seriously just fucking say that I was a fine piece of ass?” I asked. He nodded matter-of-factly and smirked. “Holy shit, Princess. I’m rubbing off on you.” 

“I can rub you off later,” he whispered to me, breath hot against my ear as he put a hand on my thigh. “But here comes our food.”

As the waitress set our plates of food on the table, I couldn’t help but realize that Abel being seductive was quite possibly one of the hottest things I had ever seen.

Growing more and more sexually frustrated by the minute, I sighed and took a bite of my food. 

“This tastes so much better when I make it,” I said after swallowing the bite. Abel turned to look at me, a surprised look on his face.

“You can cook?” he asked. I let out a small chuckle and nodded.

“Yeah. It’s one of my many talents,” I replied, leaning toward him.

“You should cook for me sometime,” he said with a smile.

“I will. Sometime.”

“Do you specialize in Mongolian food or something?” he asked as he took a sip of his water. I smiled.

“Kind of, yeah. I’m actually a quarter Mongolian, so my Grandma taught me how to cook the food,” I confessed. Abel’s eyes went wide with shock. 

“Are you serious? So you’re actually part Asian?” he replied. I snorted.

“Technically, yes. But don’t you dare go around telling people that you’re fucking an Asian, otherwise there will be consequences.” Abel giggled. 

“Alright, alright, I get it. Plus you don’t look much like it anyways. Except for the tan skin and black hair, that is.”

“Yeah, plus I’m drop-dead sexy,” I added confidently. Abel smiled and continued to eat his food quickly. 

“Do you like it?” I asked him after a short moment. “The food, I mean.” 

“Yes!” Abel responded with a fervent nod. “It’s delicious.”

There was no doubting that Abel was telling the truth. He consumed his food in almost record time, and before I knew it both our plates were clean and we simply stayed where we were, happily talking. 

After the waitress took our dessert order, I felt Abel’s hand back on my leg. I turned to look at him and saw a seductive smirk plastered on his face. I narrowed my eyes slightly and stared at him. Slowly, he moved his hand higher, not breaking eye contact. When he finally reached the apex of my thigh, he pressed his palm to the erection that was growing in my pants. I growled and grabbed his hand.

“Come with me,” I told him, standing up. As soon as he was on his feet, I pulled him over to the bathroom door. I was incredibly thankful for two things: firstly, that the restroom wasn’t on the other side of the restaurant; and secondly, that it was a single bathroom with a lock.

I closed and locked the door as soon as Abel and I had gotten inside, and promptly proceeded to push him against it. He groaned slightly as his back came in contact with the wooden door and I smirked down at him. 

“Too rough?” I asked. Looking up at me, Abel grinned.

“Never,” he replied bluntly before sliding his hands down to the waistband of my pants. He quickly undid the button and pulled down the zipper. Raising an eyebrow, I gazed down at him. 

“And just what are you planning on doing?” I asked in a whisper. He merely grinned at me. 

“Stop asking so many questions,” he ordered, grazing his hands up to my chest and leaning into me. 

At first, I thought he was gonna come back in for a kiss, but I was quickly proven wrong when he suddenly pushed me back, nearly causing me to trip. With a groan, my back hit the wall behind me, and I looked over to Abel.

“What are you trying to…” I began to say, but was silenced by Abel pressing his lips against mine.

"Be quiet," he commanded after pulling away.

It wasn’t where I had planned on going with this trip to the bathroom, but I also was not going to complain about the unexpected turn of events. I wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but I was thoroughly enjoying it. As much pleasure as I got from dominating him, it was nice to have him take control for once. I have never enjoyed being dominated, especially bottoming, but for some reason, Abel was making me rethink the idea. 

He was gaining more confidence every time we did something together, be it dinner, video games, or sex. He was coming out of his shell more and more and he was surprising me more and more every day. His ever-growing confidence was sexy as hell and I was going to accept anything and everything he was going to give me, even if it meant rethinking some of the walls I had built up over the years.

Abel pulled me back to reality when he suddenly dropped to his knees. After lifting the hem of my shirt, he placed a soft kiss just below my belly button. He slowly tugged down both my jeans and boxers to my knees and glanced up at me with dark, lustful eyes. I locked our gazes and watched a smirk spread across his lips. Not breaking eye contact, he took hold of my erection in one hand and slowly ran his tongue across the tip.

I tilted my head back against the wall and tangled my fingers into his hair as I willed myself not to thrust forward into his hot mouth. As badly as I wanted to feel him, I knew that if I choked him now, he may never do this again. And, oh, how I wanted him to do it again. However, my needs were met when he quickly swallowed my entire length and remained still, the warmth of his mouth completely engulfing it. 

“Holy fuck,” I moaned, clenching my eyes shut. My entire body was shaking as he kept himself from moving for a good few seconds. Finally needing to breathe, though, Abel slowly pulled back, a tiny trail of saliva remaining between his mouth and the tip of my length. “Oh my fucking God, Abel…” I muttered down to him.

“You have to be quiet, Cain. We don’t want them kicking us out, now, do we?” he said smoothly. I whimpered slightly, earning a grin from him. When he resumed licking, sucking, and pumping my shaft, my breathing became more uneven. I still had one hand entangled in his hair and, as he bobbed his head, brought the other up to my lips. I sunk my teeth into my knuckles in an attempt to stifle my ever-loudening moans.

I was quickly approaching my peak when Abel hummed around my cock, sending me over the edge. My grip on his hair tightened and I bit down on my hand almost hard enough to draw blood. Abel stilled and waited as I came down. A few moments later, he stood and smiled at me after swiping the back of his hand across his lips.

“How’d you like that?” he asked, teeth tugging at his lower lip. I started at him for a second before pulling his head forward and pressing our lips together. He tasted like cum, but I didn’t care. He was so sexy. I wanted, no, I _needed_ to get him back to my room. He pulled back and gave me an innocent look.

“I think our dessert is ready,” he said. I frowned and stared at him for a moment.

“Fuck the dessert,” I replied finally. He gave me a confused look as I quickly refastened my jeans and dragged him out of the bathroom. Throwing enough cash on the table to cover the bill and tip, I grabbed his hand again and led him out of the restaurant and back towards campus.

 

* * *

  
The very moment we were in my room, my mouth was on Abel’s. I needed him so badly that it hurt. Lifting his legs up so I could carry him, I brought the both of us over to my futon. Sitting down so that Abel was on my lap, I broke our kiss momentarily to gaze up at him. Both his and my breathing was uneven, and I was captivated by his gorgeous, lust-filled eyes.

Leaning back in, this time I attacked his neck, leaving small bite marks and hickies all over. As I did this, I grazed my hands up his torso, and, reaching his collar, proceeded to unbutton the flannel shirt he was wearing. 

After I had managed to undo all the buttons, I discarded both the flannel and the undershirt he had been wearing beneath it. Smirking into our kiss, I caressed his newly-bared chest, teasing him by sliding my fingers over his nipples. 

“Mmh…” he moaned against my mouth.

Leaning back for some air, I brought one hand up to run my fingers through Abel’s hair. 

“Stand up for me…” I whispered up to him. His face reddened a bit at the request, but he nodded and slid off of my lap. As he looked down expectantly, I couldn’t help but stare at him with awe. “...Now, take off the rest,” I commanded. 

At first, embarrassment was prevalent on Abel’s face, but a split second later, his expression changed. Going as slowly as he could, and keeping his eyes fixated on me, he undid the button and zipper of his jeans and slowly pulled them down to his ankles before kicking them off into a corner of the room, leaving only his underwear.

“And what about those?” I asked expectantly. Abel smirked. Slowly approaching me again and placing his knees on the futon so he loomed over me, he spoke in a low voice. 

“Take them off for me,” he muttered. Caught a bit off-guard initially by his forward response, my expression quickly changed from one of surprise to a mischievous one. 

“Fine, come here…” I responded, gesturing for him to come down to my level. Leaning down, Abel pressed his lips to mine again, our tongues intermingling. 

Maintaining the contact between our mouths, I slid my thumbs beneath the waistband of his boxers, and slowly lowered them. As I did this, the fabric grazed over Abel’s erection, and I heard him moan into our kiss and felt him grip the fabric of my t-shirt as small hints of pleasure ran through him.

Once the underwear was finally past his crotch, Abel maneuvered himself so that I could completely remove the article of clothing. I tossed it aside, smirking against his mouth when I realized that he was now naked and on top of me while I remained fully clothed. God, he was so fucking sexy. 

Feeling myself suddenly get harder, I groaned at the tightness of my jeans. Upon hearing this, Abel pulled back and grinned as he trailed his hand down to rub his palm against the bulge in my pants. 

“Hard _again?_ ” he questioned, obviously teasing me. I breathed unevenly and looked up at him. 

“That tends to happen when you’ve got someone with such a sweet ass naked and on top of you,” I informed Abel, causing him to chuckle lightly.

“Aww, I’m flattered,” he replied in a whisper before pulling me back into a bruising kiss. 

Sliding his tongue against mine, he slid his hands up to my torso and hungrily took off my leather jacket with lightning speed. And, before I knew it, my shirt beneath it was also removed, leaving me in only my jeans, which continued to painfully restrict my erection.

“Stand up for me…” Abel whispered into my ear as he lifted himself off my lap. Grinning, I happily obeyed, and got up from my spot on the futon. Once I was standing, I pulled Abel by the arm so that he stood flush against me, my clothed erection pressing against his exposed one, and my hands running up and down his sides and grasping at his hips. I leaned in and proceeded to suck at his earlobe.

“I need you so bad, Abel…” I whispered to him, grinding my hips against his. He gave a soft laugh. 

“I know…” he muttered in reply before suddenly pushing me away from him. I almost had a heart attack when something hit the backs of my knees, causing me to fall backwards. Upon seeing that he had actually shoved me down onto my own bed, though, my surprise quickly turned back into arousal. 

“You’re rough today…” I said to him as he looked down at me with lusty eyes. He smiled.

“Glad you noticed,” he replied simply. But it was true, he was being so unexpectedly dominant today. I loved it. I was eating it up, actually. It was thrilling, not knowing what he was going to do next. He was in control, and it got me more excited than I think I had ever been before. 

I smirked, and, as Abel strode forward to approach the bed, I eagerly pulled him down to straddle my hips. He tangled his fingers in my hair and pulled my face forward, crashing our lips together. I ran my hands up his bare thighs, moaning when he clenched my hair tighter in his fist. Suddenly, though he pulled back and grabbed my wrists.

“No touching,” he said, staring me dead in the eye and catching me by surprise. I pouted at him.

“Why not?” I asked innocently, leaning upwards to try and kiss him. Averting himself so I couldn’t reach his face, he pushed me and held me down so I was unable to move, pinning my arms next to my head. Holy shit.

“I want to see if you can follow orders as well as you give them.” Hot damn, I was _really_ liking this.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked again, staring up at his gorgeous face. He smirked and leaned in closer to whisper as he looked directly into my eyes.

“You're going to lay back and restrain yourself from touching me as I fuck myself senseless on your cock,” he said simply. My jaw dropped.

Before I could respond to him, his lips were on mine in a rough kiss. After a few seconds, he trailed his mouth down my neck and torso before stopping at my belt and glancing up at me. Cautiously letting go of my wrists, he put both of his hands on my belt buckle, and, after undoing it at a painfully slow pace, he pulled the belt off and grinned up at me with it in hand. I looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.

“...What’s that look for?” I asked with suspicion. 

Refusing to answer me, Abel wordlessly shifted himself up so he could reach my wrists again, and before I could even process in my mind what he was doing, he wrapped the strip of leather around them and hooked it around part of my wooden headboard. 

“You… fucking little shit!” I swore up at him, trying to pull my arms free from the restraint. But it was too late. He had buckled the belt tight, and there was no way I could free my wrists without help. 

“So you don’t have the urge to touch me,” Abel explained simply. 

“Where the fuck did you even learn to… oh, never mind,” I muttered, plopping my head down on the pillow in defeat. Smirking, Abel leaned in close, softly bumping our foreheads together. 

“Just lean back and enjoy,” he said seductively, sliding his hand down to my jeans. Once the button and zipper were undone, he reached underneath the denim and freed my erection. I was relieved now that my pants weren’t holding it back any longer, and gave a satisfied sigh.

Suddenly, though, an overwhelming warmth wrapped around me, and I had absolutely no time to stifle my moans. 

“Ahh! Ah, Abel… fuck…” I groaned.

He had surprised me by taking my length in his mouth so suddenly. Licking and sucking at it, he used one hand to rub at the base, while the other hand rested on my torso, caressing up and down my abs. I wanted so badly to touch him, to run my hands through his soft hair as he sucked me off for the second time that day. I couldn’t let him know how badly I wished my hands were on him right then, though. I wouldn’t give in that easily. 

Who the fuck was I kidding, though?

Abel had me in the palm of his hand, literally. I was a hopeless mess of moans and gasps as he worked his tongue up and down my length and pumped it with a tight grip. 

And, to make things even better, he suddenly pulled the trick he had done earlier that day: taking the tip between his lips, I thought he would just stop there, but instead he lowered his head down even further, taking me fully in his mouth. Taken by surprise yet again, I leaned my head back as I moaned. 

“Holy shit, ah…! Fuck, Abel, I’m gonna cum if you keep… doing that…” I felt him hum a bit in response, my cock still entirely entrapped in his mouth. 

After another moment, he finally leaned back, letting my erection slide out of his mouth, and spoke.

“You’re gonna cum, you say?” he replied with a smirk. Looking at him with half-lidded eyes, my chest heaving, I nodded shakily. “...Good,” he muttered, before suddenly taking my entire length back into his warm cavern again. 

Jolting a bit, I tried my best to not choke him. The feeling of his hot mouth on me was heavenly, though, and I couldn’t help but let out throaty moans as he remained still, the tip of my cock pressing at the back of his throat. Luckily, though, I managed to not go over the edge yet. 

That was, until he began bobbing his head up and down. Holy fuck. He was deep-throating me. Gasping and moaning, I felt like putty. I couldn’t grasp anything, so I just merely clenched my fists in their binding and tried my damnedest to not thrust my hips upwards. Trying to do so much at once, though, proved to be my undoing. 

I felt my lower abdomen clench, and a wave of intense pleasure ran through my body, all the way down to my toes and fingertips. My vision went blank as I was sent into my climax, Abel continuing to suck on my length as I orgasmed. 

And, to top it off, I literally _screamed._ Despite only cumming around half an hour ago, my second climax remained equally, if not more, immense and overwhelming than the first. Calling out Abel’s name, I rode out the feeling, loving every single millisecond of it. 

Once I came down from my high, I glanced down at Abel with bated breath and half-lidded eyes. He was still pumping my length, and a bit of cum dripped down from his mouth. He still had a stupid little smirk on his face as he gazed up at me. 

“How do you feel?” he asked me softly. 

I couldn’t even find a proper answer. My breathing was starting to even out, but looking down and seeing him like that, still stark naked, hot and bothered, and with his hands on my cock, only made me begin to harden up again.

“Ah, fuck…” was all I could manage to say as I leaned my head back down onto the pillow and closed my eyes. I heard Abel giggle a bit.

“Damn, you’re really on a roll today, aren’t you?” he muttered, referring to my growing erection. The third one of the day. As he continued to run his hand up and down on me, I groaned.

“And just… ah, whose fault do you think… that is?” I responded.

Feeling Abel shift his weight on the bed, I looked down to see him moving to sit on my thighs as he kept a hand on my length. Trailing my gaze down to his nether regions, I saw he was still erect, and hadn’t even cum once yet, while he had already gotten me off twice. Damn, I wanted to touch him…

I couldn’t tell him that, though. He obviously wanted to be in control right now, and he was definitely succeeding, so I kept the thoughts to myself, and instead pushed them aside by taking in just how beautiful Abel was. 

Strands of his pale hair were stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his eyes were filled with lust as he looked down at me. His mouth was partially agape as he emitted shaky breaths. And, only adding to his beauty, hints of sunlight were streaming in through the windows, reflecting off his hair and giving it a red-orange glow. God, I just wanted to be inside him so badly. Fortunately for me, though, Abel was about to grant my wish.

Leaning over to the bedside table, he pulled out the ever-familiar bottle of lube. Looking up at it, though, I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Glancing down at me with a look of confusion, Abel asked what was so funny.

“Heh… nothing,” I responded, trying to stifle my laughter. “It’s just… we’ve almost gone through the entire thing.” Giving me a look of surprise, Abel held the bottle up to his face to get a better look at it, and snorted. 

“Pff, you’re right!” he replied, covering his mouth with his other hand. Together, we laughed for a moment or two, but once our giggles had subsided, Abel’s expression turned to one of desire again. 

Uncapping the bottle of clear liquid, Abel was about to pour some onto his hand, but before he did, I spoke up. 

“Abel, wait,” I muttered to him. Looking down at me, he gave me a confused look. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, a tinge of worry present in his voice. I shook my head.

“Nothing’s wrong…” I replied, my voice quieting down to a whisper. “...Just…please, kiss me,” I pleaded.

Giving me a soft smile, Abel bent himself down to my level, and used his free hand to caress my cheek. Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips to mine in a single, slow motion.

Without separating our mouths, Abel expertly lathered a decent amount of lube onto his free hand, and, reaching around to his entrance, started fingering himself. 

“Mmn…” he moaned against me as he stretched himself out. Holy fucking shit. The sounds he made, along with the fact that he was fingering himself while moving his tongue against mine, were such turn-ons. Without even having to look, I knew my cock was completely hard again, and Abel had barely even touched me. 

After another few moments of preparing himself, Abel pulled back from our kisses, and grinned down at me mischievously. 

“You ready?” he cooed. I looked up at him incredulously. 

“Is that even a question?” I retorted. “You’ve kept me waiting fucking long enough.” Abel giggled.

“Good, I meant to,” he said in a sassy reply. Before I could think of a snide remark to say back, though, he began to move again.

Lifting himself up on his knees, Abel positioned himself just above the tip of my erection. Lowering himself slowly, he slid my length inside of him, staring straight at me as he did so, mouth falling open in a silent moan. It was incredibly sexy. _He_ was incredibly sexy. Being dominated by him and having him in total control of when and how fast I entered him was unbelievably exhilarating. 

“Ahh… mm…” Abel whimpered as he lowered himself onto me. 

Once my erection was completely sheathed, Abel didn’t move for a brief moment, either because he had to take a second to get used to the feeling, or because he just wanted to torment me. In all honesty, I didn’t care either way. I was in my happy place; naked and inside of Abel. 

After a few seconds passed and he seemed to have adjusted, Abel placed his hands on my abdomen to prop himself up, and began moving himself up and down at an achingly slow pace. Oh, how I wish I could have grabbed his hips and started fucking him to kingdom come. If my hands were free from their bindings, there would be many things I’d have been doing right then, all of them involving Abel. 

Moving slowly, Abel eventually broke our eye contact by fluttering his lids shut as he let out small moans and gasps. As he bounced himself up and down, he started to increase in speed and intensity, much to my approval. It was almost hypnotizing, watching him ride me. I was captivated.

“Ahh… hah… Abel,” I moaned his name. Opening his eyes slightly, Abel gazed down at me, never ceasing his up and down motion. Seeing that I had his attention, I continued. “Abel… take off this, ah, belt… please.” 

I think it was the ‘please’ that caught him. I looked up at Abel with pleading eyes, hoping he would let my hands free so I could finally reach out and touch him and pleasure him too. Out of the two of us, I believed he would know best what it felt like to not be able to make the other feel good, and I needed to touch him more than anything else in that moment. 

After a few seconds of pondering, Abel ceased his movement, and leaned down to press his mouth to mine. As our tongues intertwined, though, I could also feel his hands slide up from my chest to my forearms. Leaning into the kiss, I heard the ‘clink’ of the belt buckle as Abel undid it, and I felt my heartbeat speed up with excitement. 

In a flash of movement, right after he had freed my wrists, I moved my hands to touch him. I grazed my palms around his pale, bare torso. I trailed them between his legs to pump his erection. I slid them downwards to cup his hips, lifting him up and down on my length again and again. It was incredible. 

“Mmm… Cain…” I heard him moan my name as he rested his head in the crook of my neck. His little whimpers and moans increased in both volume and quantity as I continued to move his hips up and down. When I finally hit his sweet spot, he bit down on my shoulder to muffle his scream. As I proceeded to hit the same spot, Abel gave up on trying to keep himself quiet, and instead, he moaned against my skin, fingers digging into my back.

“Cain… ahh, fuck!” he whimpered, resting his forehead on my shoulder. I didn’t need him to say anything more, I knew he was close and I was hellbent on making him feel what me made me feel earlier. I could feel my own climax looming over me, as well.

“Look… at me,” I panted into his ear. He pulled back and slowly opened his eyelids to gaze at me, and I proceeded to lose myself in his gorgeous, dark eyes as I orgasmed for the third time that afternoon. Soon after, Abel’s lips fell open in a loud moan as he also finally came between us.

After we both came down from our highs, I leaned back on the bed and tugged him down beside me. Rolling over onto my side, I pressed my chest flush against his back and pulled the blankets up over us. He reached his hand back and grabbed mine, wrapping it around his torso and snuggling further into me. As we laid there for a few moments in complete silence, I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over me.

“Cain? he asked, turning his head upward. I hummed in response and closed my eyes. “I... Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said in a quiet voice. Showing that I heard him, I pressed my lips to his in a brief kiss. Giving me a half-smile, he turned his head back around, and soon after, his breathing steadied, sleep overtaking him.

As I laid there next to him, though, I was wide awake. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ definitely was not what he was going to say.

And that terrified me.

 

* * *

  
I sat on the hard bench outside of Dean Bering’s office and bounced my leg up and down. I was not looking forward to this meeting, especially since I already knew what he was going to tell me. I had not done as well last semester as I had hoped, and that dropped my grade point down to below a 2.0, which meant that I was on the Academic Warning List.

It was late February, and midterms were coming up soon. Much to my enjoyment, I hadn’t had to meet with the dean for several weeks now because Abel was still tutoring me and helping me with my schoolwork. However, something else seemed to be up since he had called me into this meeting on such short notice.

Finally, the door opened and I jumped up. The dean ushered me inside and followed behind me, closing the door once we were both in the room. I froze when I noticed who was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. 

“What the hell is _he_ doing here?” I snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Abel’s father. Bering sighed and sat down in the high-backed leather chair behind the desk.

“He is the on the board for the Department of International Student Affairs, Cain,” he said calmly. I scoffed.

“What the fuck does that have anything to do with my being on fucking academic warning?” I snapped. Bering sighed, obviously annoyed at my cursing.

“Because you are very close to being on academic probation,” he started. I frowned. My grades hadn’t been that bad, had they? “Some issues regarding the renewal of your student visa have arose,” he said bluntly.

“Excuse me?” I asked in disbelief, standing next to the empty chair and crossing my arms. I refused to sit next to Abel’s father. “What fucking issues?”

“I know you’re having some financial issues, Cain. You failed to pay your University Bill at the end of last semester. I waived your case in order to give you some time to come up with the money, but…” Bering trailed off.

“But _what_?” 

“If you do not completely pay off your bill by the end of March, your visa will be revoked and you will not be able to return to the university for the fall semester.”

No. This could not be happening.

I clenched my teeth and put my hands on the back of my head as I paced the silent room. As I turned around to complete another lap, I saw a smug smirk spread across the Professor’s face. He had been calm about this whole ordeal; too calm. I stopped in my tracks and stared at him.

“You. You son of a fucking bitch,” I said, pointing a finger at him. The smirk remained on his face.

“Cain! Watch your language!” Bering shouted at me. I shook my head and strode over to the Professor. Slamming my hands down on the arms of the chair, I leaned close to his face.

“You did this. You fucking made this happen,” I snarled. He returned my stare.

“It’s not my fault you’re a horrible student, Cain. It also isn’t my fault that you were not financially prepared to attend an overseas university.”

“ _Vy mudak_ ,” I snapped, standing upright. Without another word, I stomped out the door and slammed it behind me, my shoes clicking on the tile floor of the hallway as I stormed out of the building.

That motherfucker was _not_ going to get my ass deported if I had any say in it. All he was doing was having a bitch fit just because I was still sleeping with his son. I knew he was going to take drastic measures, I just didn’t think they would be anything like this.

Something was going to have to change.

  
  
  



	15. Abel

**Chapter 15**

**Abel**

 

For some reason, Cain had seemed a bit off for the past few weeks.

Sure, he was still a smartass, and made sure to either frequently flirt with me or add a snarky comment whenever possible, but there was something… different. Every so often, he would stare off into space with a sad expression on his face, or he would suddenly get extremely quiet. It only happened on occasion, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t bother me.

I intended on asking him about it eventually, but I wanted it to be in a good atmosphere, with just the two of us, and no worry of Praxis or Ethos or anyone else getting in the way.

That’s why I decided to ask him to on vacation over spring break with me. Of course, that wasn’t the _only_ reason I asked him, but it was definitely prevalent in my mind. I wanted Cain to become more comfortable with expressing his feelings and thoughts to me, especially the deep, personal ones, and I felt that if we were alone together he would feel a lot better about opening up to me.

And so, the weeks passed, including midterms, and finally the Friday leading into Spring Break rolled around. I found myself in my red mustang on the way up to New England, where Cain and I would be staying up at my family’s cabin for the week.

As I drove, though, I become severely bored by myself. I had to travel separately from Cain because my parents insisted on seeing me before I went off to ‘hang out with Ethos’, and also because the both of us and our luggage wouldn’t have fit on Cain’s motorcycle.

However, after several hours passed, I found myself on the familiar gravel road leading up to the old cabin. Looking at my texts, I saw that Cain had gotten there before me, but had found the spare keys and let himself in already. I smiled. It was going to be good, just being in an old house alone with him. It was quaint, small, and the backyard opened right out onto a clear lake that was perfect for swimming.

It was already dark outside, and after pulling up the driveway and parking in the garage, I climbed out of the car and shut the door, the cool night air surrounding me. Grabbing my bag out of the back seat, I speed-walked up onto the front porch of the house and anxiously opened the door.

Immediately as I let myself inside, I was hit with a delicious smell. Closing the door behind me, I set my bag down in the hall and tiptoed over to the kitchen, from where the smell was emitting. Peeking inside, I gave a wide grin.

There was Cain, cooking something wonderful-smelling at the stove, a wooden spoon and a pan in his hands. I was a little surprised at first, but then again, he _did_ say he could cook. I wondered what he was making. Sneaking up behind him, I gently slunk my arms around his waist in an embrace. Tilting his face down to look at me, Cain chuckled.

“I thought I heard the door,” he said with a smile. Setting down the utensils he had been holding, Cain spun around and wrapped his arms around me, nuzzling his nose into my hair.

“I would have been here sooner, but…” I trailed off, running my hands up to his chest. He shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter, you got here, didn’t you?” Cain replied, trailing one of his palms up to cup the side of my cheek. “And now it’s just the two of us…”

Pulling back, Cain tilted my face up to look at his, and slowly leaned down, pressing our lips together in a kiss. I was so, unbelievably happy at that moment. We were alone together, and we would have an entire week to simply enjoy one another’s’ company. My heart fluttered at the thought.

After a moment passed, we separated our mouths, and Cain gave me a big grin.

“So what’re you cooking?” I asked him, slipping out of our embrace and stepping to stand next to him, looking over the stove.

“Well, it’s not Mongolian food, but I did what I could with what I found in the cupboards,” Cain explained. “Let’s see, we’ve got… chicken kievs cooking in the oven, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, and Mexican mac and cheese.” I raised an eyebrow at the last thing he listed.

“Mexican mac and cheese?” I questioned, earning a laugh from him.

“Well, I saw you guys had taco seasoning, so I decided to add that into the mac and cheese. Trust me, it’ll be good, I’ve already taste-tested it,” Cain replied with a smile, stirring the pot full of cheese and noodles. I laughed and shrugged, choosing to simply trust his judgment.

While Cain continued to make the food, I placed the dishes, glasses, and silverware all on the tiny wooden table that sat in one corner of the kitchen. The house was small, so it didn’t have a proper dining room, but with it only being Cain and me, there was no problem, and no need for extra seats.

Once everything was ready, Cain and I sat down together. As we ate, I couldn’t help but notice that my heart would not stop pounding. And when Cain just ‘happened’ to brush his legs against mine beneath the table, my pulse sped up even more.

“So, your parents didn’t suspect anything when you left?” Cain asked, breaking the silence. I shook my head.

“I don’t think so, but then again it’s hard to read them sometimes, especially my dad. Ever since Mom came home from the hospital, though, he hasn’t said much to me anyways, but I don’t think he knows I left to spend time with you, and if he does he isn’t saying anything.” Cain nodded, and didn’t say anything else on the matter.

Once we were finished eating, we continued to talk as we cleared everything off the table. Standing over the countertop, I placed the leftovers in tupperware containers while Cain spoke.

“So where is Ethos, really?” he asked with a smile as he piled the dirty dishes into the kitchen sink. I giggled a bit.

“He’s with Praxis, obviously. I think they went to D.C. with the rest of Ethos’ family.” Cain snorted.

“That’s unfortunate,” he muttered. I gave him a confused look.

“How so?” I asked him, wiping my hands on a dishtowel.

“Not that they’re together, I mean!” he replied, trying to clear up my confusion. “Just the fact that they have to deal with Ethos’ family. They probably won’t get any time to themselves.” I laughed.

“I suppose that’s true.”

Smirking, Cain dried his hands and approached me, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning in close.

“Whereas you and me…” he whispered, touching his forehead to mine. “...We’re all alone in this house in the middle of the woods.” I grinned up at him, lifting a hand up to caress his neck.

“That we are,” I agreed. Cain trailed his hands down to grab my ass.

“What could we possibly do with all that time?” he said under his breath before pressing our mouths together.

Moaning softly, I leaned into the kiss, and ran my hands up Cain’s arms and shoulders. Pushing his hips flush against mine, Cain gave a throaty growl of approval.

Just as he was about to slip his hands down the back of my pants, however, I pulled back with a laugh.

“I know what we can do,” I said mischievously. Cain gave an expectant look.

“And what would that be?”

“Let’s go for a swim.”

 

 

* * *

 

As we walked out onto the wooden dock holding hands, I couldn’t help but notice that Cain was frowning a bit.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning into him a bit. He shook his head.

“It’s… it’s nothing,” he muttered in reply, not bothering to look down at me. I scowled up at him.

“It sure as hell doesn’t seem like nothing,” I retorted back in a firm voice.

The comment seemed to grab Cain’s attention this time, and he turned his gaze to look at my face. Giving a heavy sigh and rubbing his forehead with his free hand, he spoke up.

“I, uh… I guess I just don’t really like lakes,” he admitted in an almost-whisper, as if he was ashamed to confess it. I gave him a confused look.

“Oh, you don’t?” I asked, urging him to explain more.

“Well, not really lakes, but it’s like, you don’t know what’s in them. That’s the part that’s… scary… to me.” My eyes widened a bit. Cain had a fear? I smirked a bit at him.

“Wow, so you _are_ human after all,” I teased him, gripping his hand tighter. He snorted at the insult.

“Yeah, hard to believe, right?” he joked, looking out over the lake.

I wasn’t sure what the lake was called, but I knew that it was beautiful, both during the day and at night. Right now, since it was nearing nine at night, the darkness made the water look black, though I knew for a fact that it wasn’t. During the day, the lake was crystal-clear, and at some depths you could see all the way down to the bottom. There weren’t many aquatic plants in the lake, especially near the shore, but there were definitely plenty of fish. My dad often mentioned going fishing with his father and Jason when he was younger, but he didn’t share much else. Looking out at the beautiful body of water, and seeing the almost-full moon reflecting out on it like a big disc, I wondered whether or not my father ever stopped to truly see the beauty in it, or even the beauty in anything else, for that matter.

“You know,” I spoke to Cain. “I actually _do_ know what’s in this lake.” Looking down at me, he gave me a look that allowed me to continue. “Plus, I’ll be with you, so you’ll be fine. So, please swim with me?”

“Right now? At night?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, please?” I pleaded. Smiling, Cain sighed.

“I guess we can,” he replied, giving in to my pleas. Just as I was about to go put my swimsuit on, though, Cain stopped me and pulled me up against his body. “Except, there’s one thing,” he said, running a hand up my chest. “I don’t have a swimsuit.” I looked up at him, confused.

“And how are you going to fix that?” I asked. He smirked.

“I guess I could just go without one…” he muttered, leaning his face in towards mine. I had to stifle my laughter.

“Pff… you mean you’re gonna go in butt-naked?” I asked, covering my mouth with my hand.

“Would you mind?” he asked me in a low voice. Letting my hand drop down, I smiled.

“Not at all.”

Stepping back from Cain, I watched as he pulled off his shirt, tossing it down onto the wooden planks of the dock. As he did this, I, too, began undressing. Stopping mid-motion, Cain gave me a confused expression.

“Aren’t you gonna go put your swimsuit on?” he asked me.

“I don’t have one either,” I admitted with a slight smirk. Grinning, Cain quickly stepped over to me and pressed our mouths together forcefully, almost causing me to lose my balance. Cain kept me upright, though, by sliding his hands around my waist, and before I knew it, he was lifting my shirt up by the hem and pulling it over my shoulders. Pulling back from our kiss, I smiled up at him.

“Did I say you could help me undress?” I said seductively. Cain gave an airy laugh.

“No, but I’m still gonna do it anyways,” he retorted as he quickly unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans, letting them fall past my hips and down to my ankles.

Pulling Cain in for another kiss, I proceeded to help him undress as well. As each of us took the other’s clothes off, we refused to part our mouths. It was almost surreal, being in this spot with Cain, doing this with him.

Never in my wildest dreams had I ever pictured myself doing something like this with anyone, much less a man. Even less so, Cain. It was funny how life worked like that. Your past never truly prepared you for what you could encounter in your future, and when new and amazing things happened, you would just have to go with it. That’s how I felt in that moment. I had no clue what I was doing; no idea of what was right or wrong. But, when I was with Cain, it didn’t matter. He accepted me.

Once both of us were completely rid of all our clothing, my heart sped up. Being naked while having sex with Cain was fine, but this was different somehow. However, as Cain broke free of our embrace, it became apparent that he didn’t think so.

“Last one in is gay!” he shouted before jumping off the end of the dock and cannonballing into the lake water. Laughing loudly, I ran and quickly followed suit.

Jumping into the water, I felt just how cold it still was, and started shivering immediately when I came back up to the surface for air. Swimming to where my feet could touch the bottom, I swore.

“Fuck, it’s cold!” I exclaimed to Cain, who was treading water several feet away from me. He chuckled.

“It’s not _that_ bad,” he replied before doggy paddling over to me.

“Says the Russian…” I muttered under my breath, earning another laugh from Cain.

“I heard that,” he said, stopping when he was only about a foot away from me. “If it makes you feel better,” he began, “I _did_ have a boner before we jumped in.”

“Not anymore, though?” I asked with a laugh.

“In this cold-ass water? Fuck no!” he responded, waving a hand in dismissal.

“Hmm, that’s too bad…” I muttered, closing the distance between us and gazing up at Cain. Grazing my palms up his wet torso, I leaned up and pressed our lips together in a slow kiss.

Moaning softly, Cain slid his hands up into my damp hair, gripping it in his fists. It wasn’t painful, but I could still feel it, and I couldn’t help but note how nearly everything he did was incredibly beautiful and sexy.

Suddenly, though, I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard Cain chuckle next to me.

“What’re you laughing about?” I asked him with curiosity. Covering his mouth with his hand, Cain tried to suppress his laughter.

“Nothing, it’s just this whole being outside and naked thing…” I gave him a slight look of confusion.

“What about it?” I asked. He shook his head slightly and managed to stop his giggles long enough to form a full response.

“It just reminds me of a dare Pathos gave me a while back,” he said. I raised my eyebrows slightly.

“What was the dare?” I pressed.

“Well, he dared me that if I couldn’t get someone into bed with me that night that I had to run through Greekland stark naked. The person in question was the first one who walked through the door and into the kitchen, which is when you so rudely ran into me.” It took me a moment to realize that he had been dared to sleep with me. It hurt a little to know that our relationship had been built off of something that petty and stupid, but I pushed it aside.

“Well, at least you succeeded,” I said with a small smile. He let out a loud laugh.

“Actually, I didn’t,” he said. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

“But we had sex that night…” I said, confused. He shook his head.

“No, we didn’t. I threw you on the bed and you were out like a fucking light,” he said. My jaw dropped.

“Wait, so you lied to me?” I asked, even more hurt now than I was before. He shrugged.

“I never said we did, but I also never said that we didn’t. So _technically_ I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell the whole truth,” he reasoned. I scoffed.

“Whatever,” I said bluntly. He frowned and placed a hand on my cheek, turning my head to look at him.

“It doesn’t matter now, Abel,” he said. “Do you honestly think we would be here right now if I had told you the truth then?” I sighed, he was right.

If he had admitted to not actually sleeping with me the night of the party, I wouldn’t have gotten pissed at him. In turn, I wouldn’t have decided to try and get revenge on him by falsely leading him on. In the end, that one little false-truth enabled me to have one of the greatest relationships I could have ever imagined.

“Cain…” 

“Yeah, Princess?” He looked down at me and smiled.

“Let’s go back inside,” I said with a wink. His eyes widened slightly and pulled me back in for a passionate kiss. Pulling away, he grinned and swam toward the dock. I followed behind him. He climbed up on the wooden platform and held out a hand to help pull me up. Picking our clothes up off the dock, Cain and I didn’t even bother putting them back on before retreating back into the warm house.

The moment we were back inside, Cain let the bundle of clothing in his arms drop to the floor before quickly going into the living room and wrapping himself in a big blanket.

“What are you doing?” I asked, following behind him.

Without answering, Cain sat down on the couch and opened his arms, motioning for me to sit on his lap. With a grin, I obliged and he wrapped the blanket around the both of us. Snuggling into him and tracing lines on his chest, I spoke.

“How are you still so warm…?” I mumbled, closing my eyes. Cain gave a low chuckle.

“Must be a Russian thing,” he replied quietly. I giggled and gave him a kiss on his collarbone as I slid my hands up his abdomen beneath the warmth of the blanket.

“Mmh…” I heard him moan slightly at the contact. Grinning, I trailed my hands southward, past his happy trail and down to the nexus of his legs. Immediately, I knew that he was getting hard again.

“Excited?” I asked, slowly moving my hand up and down on his length. Emitting soft moans and gasps, Cain managed to give a throaty laugh.

“Must be something in the water…” he joked.

I smiled and shifted my body so that I was straddling him, one hand on the back of his neck, twisting my fingers in his soft hair, and the other hand still slowly pumping his growing erection.

Though, as I moved, the blanket slipped off of us, falling to the floor in a heap, leaving both Cain and me fully exposed again. Gazing down at me, Cain smirked when he saw that I was almost just as aroused as he was.

“Looks like I’m not the only one,” he commented before lifting one of his calloused hands up, wrapping it around my erection, and proceeding to expertly pump it. I hissed a bit at the sudden pleasure.

“Ah… mm… Shit…” I moaned, hiding my face in the crook of his neck.

“Are you getting warm, yet?” he asked softly, placing a kiss just below my ear.

“Mmm. I could be warmer,” I said quietly. I heard a chuckle rumble through his chest before he stopped stroking me.

“Stand up,” he whispered. I did so and he followed suit. Suddenly, he bent down and hooked his arms behind my knees and swept me off my feet, literally. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me into the small bedroom just off the living room. He gently tossed me on the bed and pecked my lips. After instructing me to stay put, he quickly left the room. I sighed and sat up, crossing my legs as I impatiently waited for him to return. Shortly thereafter, he did and stopped in the doorway to look at me. I smiled sweetly at him.

“You’re an adorable little shit,” he said.

“I know,” I said with a nod. He smirked and walked toward me, hands behind his back.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered and placed a brief kiss on my lips. After a moment of hesitation, I slowly closed my eyes. I felt a soft cloth touch my face and, when I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by darkness. After tying the blindfold behind my head, I felt Cain lean in close to my face.

“Can you see anything?” he asked quietly. I hesitantly shook my head ‘no’ and heard him chuckle. “Good,” he said with approval.

He placed a hand on my abdomen and slowly moved it up to my chest before using it to push me backward. I gasped in surprise and fell back down onto the soft bed.

 Immediately, I felt him straddle my hips and lace his fingers with mine. Without a word, he clasped my palms together and wrapped his fingers around my wrists. It wasn’t long before he wrapped another soft piece of cloth around them and bound them together tightly.

“Think of this as revenge for last time,” he said mischievously.

“Bound and blindfolded?” I asked in slight disbelief. “Where are you taking me?”

“Same place as ever, Princess,” he responded, a dark, seductive tone to his voice before pressing his lips to mine in a hungry kiss.

As he moved our mouths together, Cain slowly slid his hands down my arms to my torso. Pausing as his fingers grazed my ribs, he slowly rubbed his thumbs across my nipples. I moaned into the kiss and thrust my hips upward slightly, rubbing my ever-growing erection against his, which earned a smirk from him. He broke the kiss and moved his lips down my jawline and sucked hard on the base of my neck. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that there was going to be a mark there all week.

If I had been mildly afraid of what he was going to do to me while I had a blindfold on, the excitement quickly overpowered it. Taking advantage of his preoccupied hands, I brought my bound ones down and around his neck to tangle in his hair as he placed hot, open-mouthed kisses across my chest. Gently, so as to not seem _too_ needy, I pushed down on his head, silently telling him where I needed him most. He stopped, however, and leaned back up to my face.

“What’s that, Princess?” he said smoothly, lips brushing against mine. I gasped slightly, unaware that he had been that close to me due to the blindfold.

“Don’t make me say it,” I whimpered slightly. He chucked before responding.

“Beg for it, Abel,” he whispered, moving a hand down to grasp my cock again. I groaned and threw my head back against the pillow.

“Nnn, Cain… please,” I panted, arching my back as he flicked his thumb across the tip. He gently took my bottom lip between his teeth and tugged at it before pressing our mouths together again.

“Please what?” he asked after pulling back.

“Blow me-- ah! -- Fuck me, I don’t care. Just _please_ ,” I moaned as he increased the speed of his hand. After a few more seconds, he stopped and all I could hear was my own heavy breathing.

“Sit up on your knees,” he commanded in a low whisper. I jumped slightly when I felt his hot breath on my ear. After a brief moment of struggle due to my bindings, I eventually managed to get into a kneeling position. I felt the bed dip slightly as he came toward me. Placing two fingers on my chin, he tilted my face upward and pressed our foreheads together.

“Turn around,” he spoke, pulling away suddenly. I nodded slightly and shifted so that I was now facing the wall. Without a word, he put one of his hands on my own and guided them up to the headboard. _This is going to be fun_ , I thought as I wrapped my fingers around the wooden rails.

I knew what came next, but it still made me jump slightly when I felt his cold, lube-coated fingers teasing my entrance. I moaned when he pushed one in up to his knuckle. After twisting, turning, and stretching, he quickly added a second, earning another, louder moan from me. Moments later, he retracted his fingers and immediately replaced them with the tip of his erection. He leaned forward and placed a kiss to the back of my neck as he pushed himself inside me.

“Fuck,” I whispered, leaning my forehead against my wrists. He smirked against my skin as he pulled out almost completely before slamming back in, much faster than the first time. I moaned louder with each thrust, drowning out his own groans. When he fell into a steady rhythm, I groaned. It wasn’t enough.

“Cain…” I panted, turning my head to the side.

“What is it, Princess?” he asked, snaking an arm around my waist to pump my erection with one hand while the other remained on my hip.

“Ahh… H-harder. Please,” I whimpered.

“Damn, you’re fucking sexy when you beg,” he said before following through with my request. I moaned again and leaned back against his chest, fingers still gripping the railings on the headboard. As I leaned my head back on to his shoulder, he latched his lips onto the side of my neck.

As he suckled on the skin below my ear, ran his hand up my length, and thrust into me with a force that I didn’t know he had, I couldn’t hold on any longer. I came into his hand as my vision went white and his name fell over my lips. I vaguely remember him whispering my name, too, as he found his own release.

After riding out our orgasms, he pulled out of me and I unclenched my fingers from the headboard. Bringing them up to my chest, he slowly undid the bindings as I caught my breath. As soon as my hands were free, I turned around and allowed him to untie the blindfold. When the fabric fell from my eyes, I saw him smiling widely at me and I couldn’t help but follow suit.

“Have I told you recently that you’re amazing?” he asked with a quiet chuckle. I giggled and placed my hands on his cheeks.

“You might have mentioned it,” I replied, pressing our lips together briefly. He pulled back and climbed off the bed.

“We should probably get cleaned up before we go to sleep,” he said, making his way out of the bedroom and toward the bathroom. I sighed. He had never showered after sex before, so what was he doing now? Seconds later, he poked his head around the doorway and smirked at me.

“You coming or not, Princess?” he said with a wink before disappearing again. My eyes widened slightly as I realized what he was planning. I nearly tripped as I jumped off the bed and quickly ran into the bathroom to join him.

 

* * *

 

I woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Yawning, I tried stretching my arms out, only to find that I couldn’t. I turned my head to the side to find Cain next to me, breathing softly in his sleep. His arms were wrapped around me tightly, and I knew right away it would be next to impossible to try and escape his embrace without waking him up. Sighing, I lifted a hand up to caress his face, trying to wake him up gently.

“Cain…” I cooed to him. Slowly blinking his eyes open, Cain looked at me. “Good morning,” I whispered softly. His eyes widened a bit.

“Good morning…” he said, awestruck. I smiled.

“Something wrong?” I asked. He shook his head.

“No, nothing’s wrong…” he mumbled, his gaze still fixated on me. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You’re so beautiful,” he said simply. “I know I’ve said it before, but…” My face brightening up, I silenced him with a kiss before he could say anything more.

After a brief moment, I pulled back, unable to stop smiling.

“Thank you,” I replied to him. Running his hands through my hair, Cain changed the subject.

“Are you hungry?” he asked me in a low voice. “I can make eggs and bacon if you want.”

“Sounds perfect,” I responded.

Giving me one last peck on the lips, Cain exited the warmth from underneath the covers and fished out some underwear and sweatpants out of his suitcase on the other side of the room. Once he had them on, he gave me a quick glance, and went out into the hallway and into the kitchen.

Leaning back onto the pillows, I finally was able to stretch out. Yawning again, I placed my hands on the back of my head, and stared up at the ceiling.

So far, this spring break had been too perfect, and it was only the second day. I loved being there, alone with Cain, in the middle of nowhere. Nobody could judge us. Nobody could interrupt us. Nobody could try breaking us apart. I think that it was as close to heaven as I had ever gotten.

And Cain was there to share it with me.

He was so wonderful. Sure, he was a bit too outspoken, temperamental, and hard to read at times, but I knew that along with all of that, he was also genuine and caring. Cain had so many good qualities that I never would have thought were behind the fiery and hotheaded demeanor he had emitted when I first met him. He could cook, he was actually incredibly smart, he had a great sense of humor, and, most importantly, he brought out the best parts of me. I felt so… alive… when I was with him. He taught me how to actually live for once, rather than to just follow the rules of society, and the preconceived expectations of my father.

I sighed, wishing so badly that I could actually muster up the courage to tell him all of that. But then it hit me.

That’s what I had been planning to do.

Sliding out of the bed, I slipped on a fresh pair of boxers and an oversized t-shirt, and walked silently out into the hallway.

Peering into the kitchen, I smiled to myself when I saw Cain hunched over the countertop, whisking some eggs in a bowl. I leaned on the doorframe, still gazing at him.

“Cain…” I said to him quietly. Thankfully, he had heard me.

“Yeah?” he replied, not bothering to look up from the counter. I took a deep breath, my heart pounding.

“I love you.”

 

 

* * *

 

Immediately after I had finished my sentence, I heard the sound of the bowl that Cain was holding slam down onto the countertop. Flinching at the sound, I could practically hear my heartbeat in my ears.

“...What did you say?” he asked in a quiet tone. Gulping down air, I repeated myself.

“I love you, Cain,” I said, this time more confidently.

However, when Cain finally turned to face me, and I saw what looked to be pure fear on his face, whatever confidence I had suddenly shattered.

His expression was nothing short of terrified. My heart suddenly filled with worry, I stepped forward, my hand outstretched. Before I could take more than two steps, though, Cain pierced the silence of the room.

“Don’t come any closer!” he shouted, causing me to flinch yet again.

“Cain, what’s wrong?” I asked him, my voice shaky. Cain slammed his hands down onto the countertop.

“You don’t…” he muttered.

“What?” I asked, taking a small step forward.

“You can’t just say that!” he screamed, causing me to gasp. A fire building in my chest, I raised my voice.

“Yes I can, Cain! And I’m saying it because it’s true. What in the world has gotten into you?” at this, he laughed almost eerily.

“Nothing’s gotten into me, Princess,” he spoke. “It’s always been there. There’s… there’s so much you don’t know about me, so you have no right to say that to me…”

“So? Obviously there are things you haven’t told me yet, but that’s why I’m saying I love you!” I retorted. Cain shook his head.

“What if I told you that I’m leaving?” At this, my breathing hitched.

“W-what do you mean?” I asked incredulously.

“In my parents’ letter, the one I read out loud to you that night of the winter formal… I… I didn’t read you the whole thing.” Pausing to take a deep breath, he then continued, “At the end of it, they told me that they had gotten promoted, and are now making twice the money that they were earning before.”

“I don’t understand…” I said, giving him a confused look. “...That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s great,” Cain replied, his face somber. “It means that they’d be able to pay for the rest of my college tuition.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Because… they’ll only do it if I go back and go to college in Russia and live with them.” My heart skipped a beat.

“...Y-you’re not… gonna do it, are you?” I said to him. He pressed his fingers to his forehead.

“Abel, I just…”

“Cain!”

“I’ve been thinking about it, alright?!” he exclaimed, glaring over at me. I jolted back a bit at the sudden outburst. Realizing something, though, my expression quickly changed from one of shock to one of anger.

“...My dad talked to you, didn’t he?” I accused in a firm tone. Cain scoffed.

“And if he did?” he retorted, earning a scowl from me.

“What did he say?” I demanded to know. Growling, Cain glared at me.

“You really want to know? Fine. He fucking threatened to take away my student visa because I can’t fucking pay for college! He’s using his bullshit powers from being on the board of international-whatevers to kick me out of the country and deport me back to good old mother Russia! That’s what he _fucking said!_ ”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?!” I asked, raising my arms up in disbelief.

“Because!” he shouted, “I don’t have to tell you every single thing I do, Princess!” I groaned in frustration.

“You should if it deals with me, though! I think even _you_ would have that kind of decency!” It felt almost as though my stomach was doing constant flips, and all the blood was rushing to my head. What on earth had possessed Cain? I thought we were going to work together to get past the issue with my father…

“Well then I guess I _don’t_ have that kind of decency!” Cain snarled before storming past me and out into the living room. I quickly followed him, but he was going too fast.

“Hold on, Cain!” I shouted at him. Turning around, he glared at me.

“What?!” he countered. Staring at him, I could feel that my body was shaking all over.

“Please…” I pleaded so quietly that I was almost whispering. “...Please, don’t go back to Russia. I want… I need you here with me,” I admitted to him, my breathing uneven. Staring at me with melancholy eyes, Cain slowly shook his head.

“No, Abel…” he muttered, averting his gaze down to the wooden floor. “...You really don’t need me, believe me when I say that.”

“How the fuck would you know?!” I exclaimed, my eyes beginning to fill with tears. “You probably don’t even know how to love!” Quickly lifting his head back up to glare at me, Cain looked almost as though he had just been slapped across the face.

“That’s why you don’t need me!” he explained. “There’s so many more guys out there, Princess,” he gestured to the window to further his point, “I’m sure there’re tons who are better than me, too, so go out there and find them!” My heart clenched in my chest.

“I don’t want any of them, Cain! I want _you_!” I confessed, stepping forward again.

“You don’t want me, Abel!” he said, retreating backwards. “I’m dishonest, I have anger management issues, I’m stubborn beyond all belief, I’m stupid, I can’t even pay for my goddamn college tuition, hell, I fucking _strip_ to make ends meet! You might think you need me, Abel… but trust me, you don’t.” Tears started falling down my face.

“Cain, please… I don’t care about any of that! Just don’t go…” Cain stared at me in disbelief.

“You don’t care that I hide the truth from you? You can’t be fucking serious. Abel, there’s so much about me that you would hate me for if you knew about it.” I sniffled, wiping my tears with the back of my hand.

“Fine,” I managed to say. “Then tell me, I want to know.” Cringing, Cain sighed.

“It’s too much. Abel, between my grandmother’s death and my acceptance into college, there was so much I did that I could get a lifetime in jail for. Frankly… I don’t want to talk about it.” I breathed deeply before replying.

“Okay, then tell me who you met with on Christmas Eve,” I demanded. Can gave me a questioning look.

“Why the hell does it matter?” he challenged. I glared at him.

“Because I want to know! It matters to me!” I retorted, gesturing to myself. Turning to the side, Cain snorted.

“That’s stupid, I’m not telling you,” he replied bluntly before retreating back into the bedroom. Shocked at his response, I quickly followed behind him.

“Cain, stop walking away from me!” I chided at him. Stopping and turning back around, Cain held his arms out, insisting I continue. Staring at him with teary eyes, I asked, “...Are you not telling me… because you cheated on me?”

At first, the question seemed to catch him off-guard, but then he simply responded with a loud laugh. I couldn’t believe him. Did he really? Please, God, no…

“And if I _had_ slept with someone?” he asked, the loudness of his voice amplified in the small space of the room. “Why would it matter? We’re not even dating, Princess!”

“Cain, please don’t do this...” I muttered to him. “I’m begging you.”

“...And I’m tired of hearing it,” he responded bluntly.

With that, Cain strode over to his duffel bag, slipped on a t-shirt with lightning-fast speed, and tossed everything he had unpacked since last night back into the bag, zipping it up and swinging it over his shoulder. Shoving me aside, he fled out into the living room to put on his leather jacket. My heart pounding, I quickly followed.

“Did you even ever think that maybe you loved me?!” I asked him, tears pouring down my face once more. Popping the collar of his jacket up, Cain turned to face me.

“...No, Abel. Like you said… I can’t love. Not anymore, at least…”

Glancing down at the floor, Cain speedily picked up his boots and tugged them onto his feet. Realizing he had everything he needed to leave, I grew frantic.

“No, wait… We can make this work! Cain, please! Don’t--”

Before I could finish my sentence, though, Cain walked out the door and forcefully slammed it behind him. Anxiously opening it and running out onto the front porch, I stared in disbelief as he stormed across the front yard over to his motorcycle and placed his bag on the back of it. Leaning on the porch railing, I shouted out to him.

“You can’t always run from your problems!” I yelled as he mounted the bike. Stopping and turning to look at me, Cain shook his head.

“I’m not running away from you, Princess. I’m protecting you.”

And with that, he revved the engine of the motorcycle, took off the kickstand, and drove off down the gravel road.

As the sound of the bike grew fainter and fainter, I felt the silence creep up on me, and the reality that Cain was no longer there next to me became more and more real. Staring out at the road, so many emotions flooded through me, none of them good.

How did I let Cain slip out my grasp like that so easily? The night before, everything had been so perfect. Everything Cain and I had built up together over the past few amazing months had gone so fast, like the blink of an eye.

Like a speeding motorcycle.

Sobs overcoming me and wracking my body, I quickly pushed myself from the railing and sped down the wooden steps of the porch, sprinting out onto the grass in the front yard. I couldn’t let Cain go. He was all I had now…

Not caring that I was completely barefoot, I ran down that gravel road as far as my legs could take me. I had no idea where I was going, nor where Cain possibly would’ve gone by himself, but I just knew I had to get to him and be back at his side. However, after who knows how long, I ran out of breath, my feet started to feel like they were burning, and my muscles screamed at me to stop running.

Slowly coming to a stop and hunching over to rest my hands on my knees, I breathed heavily, staring at the ground. Tears streamed down my face, hitting and wetting the gravel below me. I couldn’t believe it. He was really gone. Cain was gone.

And I was alone.

Again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I speak for both Einfachniemand and myself when I say this: I AM SO FUCKING SORRY. This is probably the lowest point in the entire story, and I think I shed more than a few tears while writing... :( Next chapter will be in both Cain and Abel's POVs, switching every so often. 
> 
> On another note, however, at least we can now look forward to chapter 4 of the comic! I worry how HamletMachine is going to end the series in just one chapter, though... 
> 
> THANK YOU, LOVELIES! <3


	16. Cain/Abel

**Chapter 16**

**Abel**

 

“How was your break, Abel?” Ethos asked excitedly as he unpacked his suitcase.

“I don’t really want to talk about it, Ethos,” I responded, throwing my own clothes into my dresser, not giving a flying fuck where they landed. I heard my roommate huff from across the room.

“Last time you said that, it ended up resulting in you storming out of here in a fit of rage. Abel, please talk to me. You had to have had fun, right? I mean, you spent it up in Vermont with Cain, right?”

“I spent it up in Vermont alone,” I said bluntly. Ethos gave a small gasp.

“Cain bailed on your week-long date?!” he asked in disbelief. I shook my head.

“No, we…” I trailed off, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I sunk down into my chair and rested my forehead in my hands. It was mere seconds before Ethos was beside me, a comforting hand on my back.

“You broke up?” he asked softly. I shook my head ‘no.’

“Apparently,” I started, pausing to let out a shaky breath. “Apparently we weren’t together to begin with. I guess I was just a long-term one night stand.”

“Oh, Abel…” he said softly, rubbing my shoulders.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “He’s going back to Russia and I’m going to Amsterdam for my internship. I’m not even sure he’s coming back in the fall. It’s for the best, really.”

Ethos nodded solemnly and went back to unpacking. I wasn’t sure if he believed me when I said it was for the best, but I was grateful that he didn’t press the issue further. Truth be told, I only said those words in an attempt to convince myself that he was gone and not coming back and that I was over him. Despite all that, though, it definitely wasn’t working.

 

* * *

 

  **Cain**

 

“And with that, I know pronounce you a sworn brother of Alpha Kappa. Congratulations!” Encke shouted, snapping the large, leather bound dictionary closed. I smirked to myself. It didn’t seem very official, especially the fact that I swore my oath on a motherfucking Merriam Webster, but I suppose it was enough. I had finally gotten through all the hell of initiation, and now could consider myself a true brother in AK.

Luckily for me, my parents had agreed to help pay the endtails of my tuition money for fall and spring semesters, so I could finish out the year at Sleipnir. To be honest, though, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to college back home in Russia, since I hadn’t gone through pledging just to end up on the other side of the world, but I didn’t have to decide yet, not until summer.

Right now, though, there was one thing I had to do.

I walked across the room to where Pathos was standing talking to Deimos. Slinging an arm around his shoulder, I leaned on him.

“Yo, Cain,” Pathos said, not bothering to look up at me.

“Y’know, Pathos,” I started, “I never did run through Greek Land naked.”

“Why would you? You followed through with the dare, dude,” he said, slightly confused. I laughed and shook my head.

“I slept with him, but I didn’t sleep with him that night. Asshole passed out on me.”

“You didn’t?” I shook my head and a wide smirk spread across his face. “Alright then. Strip.” Sighing, I started to undress.

There were three things for which I was thankful for that night; one, that I was a stripper by trade and used to getting down into my birthday suit; two, that it was nighttime and therefore it was harder for the other fraternity guys and sorority girls to see me; and three, that it wasn’t cold outside that night.

 

\-----

 

I had exactly an hour and a half to study, eat, and walk across campus to my Chemistry Exam. Studying nowadays was harder than it had been in the past, probably because I had lost my tutor, but I was determined to get through the rest of the semester without any help.

Groaning, I slammed my notebook in my binder and shoved them both into my backpack. The noisiness of the Union food court was too distracting. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I grabbed the trash left over from my lunch and threw it in the garbage as I left the dining area. Just before I walked up the stairs to the ground floor, a voice behind me called my name. Turning around, my mood turned even sourer.

There was The Professor, dressed in a nice shirt and tie, looking as pompous and judgmental as always. That asshole.

“The fuck do you want?” I asked, glaring at him.

“It seems as though the renewal of your Student Visa came through without any further hiccups,” he said simply.

“Of course it did,” I said with a scoff.

“I’m glad you decided to listen to my advice,” he responded monotonically. “It was good that you finally realized what was best for Abel.” I winced a bit at the mention of his name.

“Yeah, whatever. Just don’t fucking talk to me anymore, okay? I’m done with your bullshit.”

The Professor gave me a small smirk before walking off and leaving me standing in the somewhat crowded hall of the Union. Growling to myself, I strode off to the exit and headed to my exam.

There were no words to describe how relieved I would be once this semester was over.

 

* * *

  

**Abel**

 

Finally, after several weeks that seemed like they would never end, the spring semester came to a close.

Having packed all of my things and stuffed them into the trunk and backseat of my car, I returned home. It was strange, being back there. It felt cold, empty. Whether it was the stark, white walls, or the vastness of the house in comparison to my tiny, quaint room in the Beta Omega house with Ethos, I wasn’t sure what made it feel so foreign. It didn’t matter much, though, since I would be leaving in less than a week to go do my summer internship anyways.

With Elena’s help, all of my boxes and bags were moved back up into my room, where they were piled in a corner, taking up almost a third of the floor space I had. Once all the work had been done, I threw myself onto my bed with a heavy groan, and stared at my ceiling.

I grazed my hands across the fabric of the duvet. Great, my own bedroom reminded me of Cain, too, just like almost everything else did. Frankly, though, I wasn’t surprised, since this room had been where we had our first time together. Thinking back on the event, I was suddenly pulled from my thoughts when Elena spoke up from across the room.

“Abel, don’t you want to unpack anything?” she asked. I shook my head.

“No, it’s fine. It would be counter-productive anyway,” I replied in a monotone voice. Sighing, Elena walked over to the bed and sat down next to me, folding her hands together.

“Is there something wrong?” She asked me. I frowned, not wanting to respond. After a moment of tense silence, she spoke again. “...Is it Cain?”

A wave of pain shot through my heart. Wincing, I shifted myself so I was laying on my side, not wanting to look at her.

“I shouldn’t even be upset about it…” I muttered.

“Why do you say that?” she asked, urging me on. I lifted a hand up to clench the fabric of my shirt.

“He… he said we weren’t even dating, so I shouldn’t have even been sad when he… walked out.” I heard Elena give a small gasp.

“Oh, Abel…” she whispered. A shiver went up my spine. Reaching out, she motioned for me to sit up. Slowly, I positioned myself next to her, my feet dangling off the edge of the bed.

“I thought maybe I was enough…” I muttered, my heart clenching in my chest. “I thought… I could change him. I wanted him to know that I loved… love him.” Tears started dripping down my face.

“I’m so sorry…” Elena spoke.

“I… I don’t want pity, Elena,” I said to her, wiping my tears away with the sleeve of my hoodie.

“I’m not pitying you, Abel,” she said softly, lightly placing her hand on my own. “I’m just sorry that he was too blind to see how wonderful you are. Walking out on you is the stupidest mistake he’ll ever make, dear.” Sniffling, I looked up at Elena with somber eyes.

“You… you think so?” I mumbled. Giving me a genuine smile, she nodded.

“Of course.”

  

* * *

 

 

**Cain**

 

The day after spring semester had ended, I found myself in the all-too-familiar airport once again, waiting for my plane to begin boarding. Leaning back in the uncomfortable seat at my gate, I anxiously bounced my leg up and down. I had gotten to the airport unnaturally early, which was extremely uncharacteristic of me, but I had nothing better to do anyways.

Unfortunately for me, being there caused my thoughts to drift to Abel, and that time that he picked me up at this very same airport in his bright red mustang. Frankly, a lot of things reminded me of him, and it was extremely annoying. Studying reminded me of him. Sleeping reminded me of him. Waking up reminded me of him. Hell, even going to work over at Studio 13 reminded me of him, even though I had never even taken him there. I must have been going insane or something.

Groaning with boredom, I slipped my phone out to check the time, but that didn’t help much, since Abel’s picture was still set as my background. He was smiling widely, a surprised look on his face. I had distracted him from whatever he had been typing on his computer. The image was exactly how I wanted to remember him: shirtless, beautiful, and, above all, happy. I stared at the picture and gave a heavy sigh before pressing the lock button again and sliding it back into my pants pocket.

Not until several minutes later, though, did I realize that I had forgotten to actually check what time it was.

  

* * *

 

 

**Abel**

 

Sitting down on my small, twin-sized bed, I gave a heavy sigh.

After endless hours of being on an airplane and trying to navigate the public transport system in Amsterdam, I had finally gotten to my tiny apartment and hauled my enormous suitcase up the stairs to the fourth floor.

The apartment itself was fairly small, not that I minded. It reminded me of my room I shared with Ethos back on campus, except with multiple rooms. The floorplan had a small kitchen, a living area, a tiny bathroom, and my bedroom. That was it. I wasn’t expecting much else, though, considering the apartment was being paid for by the Netherlands Space Office, and I definitely wasn’t the only intern that they had to provide for.

Gazing out the window, I also realized that there wasn’t much of a view, either. I simply stared out at the rooftop of the building next to this one. At least I was lucky enough that I didn’t have a direct view into the windows of any other buildings, meaning no one else could look into mine, either.

Looking around my tiny, sparsely-furnished room, I wondered what in the world I should do. My intern orientation wasn’t until the next day, and it was still bright outside. Standing up, I decided I would go and take a walk around the neighborhood to get my bearings. Hopefully it was safe enough to walk by myself during the daytime.

After slipping on my shoes and a light jacket, I made sure I had my phone, wallet, and keys before locking the front door behind me and descending the multiple flights of stairs down to the street below.

Once I was outside, I took the time to completely absorb my surroundings. I had been to Europe before, but only once, when I went to London with my parents the summer after I graduated from high school.

Amsterdam, however, was very, very different from London. It had completely slipped my mind that prostitution and marijuana were legal here, but as I walked through the streets of the neighborhood next to the one I was staying in in the city center, I was all-too reminded of it.

At almost every turn I took, there were coffee shops, which obviously didn’t sell coffee, and houses with huge windows to show off the ladies who worked inside them. At this time of day, though, the majority of the businesses were closed, and the streets were relatively calm and quiet. The same could be said for many other places, however, and I knew that once the sun had set, this area of the city would be bustling with nightlife.

Passing by one coffee shop that just happened to be open, the smell of marijuana wafted out and hit me. It was weird to think that a smell could be so familiar.

It reminded me of Cain.

 

* * *

 

**Cain**

 

I sighed and turned the knob to open the door to the small apartment in Moscow. It was dark inside, even though it was nearly noon, but that was because there were hardly any windows in the place.

The apartment was dilapidated, by almost any standards. It had two bedrooms, a joined kitchen and living area, and a tiny-ass bathroom. And, to be frank, the location wasn’t exactly perfect, either. The three-floor apartment building was situated right next to the train tracks, and the floors and walls shook every time a train happened to pass by. But, despite all this, it was home.

After hauling my luggage into my small bedroom, I walked back into the living area and flopped on the couch. I laid there and stared at the ceiling, absentmindedly petting Sacha, who had crawled onto my chest and curled up. Nearly ten minutes had passed when I heard the soft click of the front door opening.

“Who the fuck are you and why the fuck are you on my couch?” an all too familiar voice asked. I laughed slightly and sat up to look at its owner.

“Fuck you, I paid for this couch, Anya,” I said, smirking at my roommate.

“Oh. It’s just you,” she huffed and turned back into the kitchen. I scoffed and stood up, walking after her.

“ _Just_ me? Glad to know I’ve been missed.” Turning back to smile at me, Anya quickly pulled me into a big hug.

"I guess I might have missed you a little," she admitted. "It got rough having to be the only one buying food." I snorted.

"Not that you need any more. Have you gained weight?" I teased her. Pulling away from me, she punched my arm.

"Hey! It's all muscle, asshole!" she retorted, earning a grin from me.

It was good, knowing Anya would always be here in this apartment, waiting for me. She and I had known each other for a long time. In fact, she was sort of my saving grace during my mourning period after my grandma died. She was like a sister to me, always watching out for me and making sure I didn’t get into _too_ much trouble, though she was prone to being a bit wild at times, too, especially considering that we met at a bar. She was wonderful, and also the biggest lesbian I had ever met, which suited me just fine.

“I’m kidding, jeez! Damn, I forgot how hard you can punch…” I muttered, rubbing my aching shoulder. Anya grinned.

“That’s what you get for calling me fat, douchebag,” she responded bluntly.

On the contrary, Anya definitely wasn’t fat. She was precisely the opposite. She was practically just muscle and bone, except for her breasts, of course, which were pretty nicely-sized despite her lack of body fat. Naturally, she had golden brown hair that went past her shoulders, but had taken to bleaching it and dyeing the ends different shades of purple and blue for the past two years or so. She had clear, blue eyes, and loved to wear makeup. In fact, one couldn’t even really tell by looking at her that she was a die-hard lesbian. But none of that really mattered. Anya was just… Anya.

“Did you get taller?” I asked her, suddenly noticing that she measured only two inches shorter than me. She gave me a questioning look.

“Are you high? I’ve always been this height,” she responded. I gave a small chuckle and rubbed the back of my head with my hand.

“Sorry, I guess I’m just used to being around…” I trailed off. Anya looked at me expectantly.

“...Being around who?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sighing, I walked past her and further into the kitchen. There, we had what we called our ‘weed table’, which was exactly what you’d expect it to be. It had all of our paraphernalia on it, several sandwich bags with a few grams in each, and various other things, including joint wrappers, lighters, a radio, and a couple of grinders. Picking some freshly-grinded greenery and sliding our biggest bong over to my side of the table, I started to pack a bowl.

“If I’m going to tell you,” I said to Anya, “I want to be stoned when I do.” Anya huffed, and dropped the bag she had been holding down onto the linoleum floor.

“Sounds good to me, I just got done with work and my feet are killing me,” she replied, grabbing a lighter off of the table and turning the radio on.

After about five minutes or so of smoking, I started to feel like I was floating, my vision blurred a bit, and the emptiness I had been feeling for a long time started to vanish.

“So, who was the person you almost mentioned?” Anya asked with curiosity.

Exhaling out a big puff of smoke, I replied in a somber tone as I looked down at the tabletop.

“Abel… his name is Abel.”

 

* * *

 

**Abel**

 

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” a voice asked. I turned my head to see Erik leaning on my desk, looking down at me. I smiled slightly and shrugged.

“I dunno. Probably gonna sit in my apartment, eating take out and making up stories for the muted Dutch soap operas,” I said with a chuckle. Erik laughed loudly.

“You don’t actually do that, do you?” I gave him a look, making him laugh again. “Oh. Well, uh, Markus, Ryker and I are going out to a bar in Düsseldorf if you wanted to join,” he asked in his thick accent.

“Düsseldorf? Isn’t that in Germany?" I asked, confused.

“It’s only a two hour ride on ICE from here,” he explained. I furrowed my eyebrows in further confusion, making him laugh slightly. “ICE is the Intercity-Express. A high-speed train.”

“Right. Sorry, I’m still not used to the idea that I could get on a train for a couple hours and end up in a different country,” I said sheepishly.

“You’re so _Amerikanisch_ ,” he laughed. “So what do you say? Are you in?”

I hadn’t been very social since I started my internship with the Netherlands Space Office. In the near month that I had been here, I had only really befriended Erik, an intern from Germany. He was cute, I’ll admit, but he was no Cain. He flirted like no other, and was incredibly nice and outgoing. But I knew deep down that it wasn’t the same.

“Why Düsseldorf? I hear there are really good bars here, too,” I asked. Erik smiled.

“Düsseldorf is where my family is from, and the bar we are going to is my most favorite. I even have an apartment there that my family owns.” I whistled.

Damn, he must come from a wealthy family, too. There were a lot of things I liked about him, I supposed. Not to mention his good looks and physique didn’t hurt, either.

It had been almost three months since Cain had walked out on me, and I was still having troubles getting over him. However, as Erik stared at me, his blue eyes filled with hope, I couldn’t turn him down. I needed to move on, and maybe Erik was the one to help me do that.

“I’m in,” I said, finally. His smile widened even more as he stood up straight.

“ _Fantastisch_! We’re leaving straight from here in a couple of hours, if that’s alright with you?” he said, excitedly. I nodded, telling him that it was fine and he nearly skipped across the room back to his desk.

 

\-----

 

Surprisingly, the train ride didn’t feel like it took two and a half hours at all. Actually, it was rather exciting for me, seeing the countryside of The Netherlands and Germany, and the time passed quickly. In seemingly no time at all, Markus, Ryker, Erik, and I had finally arrived in Düsseldorf, and were now inside the bar that Erik had mentioned.

The bar was large, but cozy. It had several windows that looked out across the river. The lights glinting off the water made the view even more spectacular, and there was a large, oddly shaped tower over the city. It reminded me of the Space Needle in Seattle. I nudged Erik, who was sitting across from me at our small table, and pointed out the window.

“What’s that tower?” I asked. He turned around and looked in the direction I was pointing. After a moment, he smiled and turned back to look at me.

“ _Rheinturm_ , or Rhine Tower in English. It’s basically a giant digital clock tower,” he replied. I nodded, thankful that I had someone to explain some things to me, since neither Ryker nor Markus could speak English.

“What do you drink?” Erik asked, changing the subject.

“Uh...” I started, trying to remember what I had had the first time I got drunk with Cain. “...Vodka, mainly.” Surely if I got drunk enough it would stop me from thinking of Cain so often, which is where my mind had been for quite some time.

Where was he at? Was he okay? Did he get his Student Visa issue resolved? Did he decide to transfer to a Russian university or stay at Sleipnir? Did he miss me as much as I missed him? I snorted to myself at the last question and downed the first of the shots that Erik had passed to me. Of course Cain didn’t miss me. Why would he? He was the one who walked out and left me alone and heartbroken. It was high time I stopped letting it get to me.

Trying to push thoughts of Cain out of my mind, I turned to face Erik, who I caught staring at me.

“...What is it?” I asked him. He shook his head with a smile and took a sip of his whiskey.

“Nothing, you’re just very pretty, for a man,” he said. I felt myself blush a bit, since it had been so long since someone had complimented me, but I tried to remain composed, though the alcohol wasn’t doing very much to help with that.

“Oh, well, thank you,” I said before taking another shot.

“You are in university in America, aren’t you?” Erik asked me. I nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I’m going to be a junior,” I replied.

“So how old does that make you, then?” he asked in a low voice.

“Oh, um, I’m twenty,” I replied, taking a sip from the tall mug of beer that had been passed to me.

“Really? You appear younger,” he responded before chugging down the rest of his own drink.

“Really? Thanks,” I said with a half-smile before staring down at my mug.

“So, then...” Erik said almost inaudibly over the rest of the noise in the room. I turned to look at him. His gorgeous blue eyes contrasted well with his brown hair. He was the complete opposite of Cain, but at the same time, so very similar.

“So, what?” I asked, urging him to continue. He dropped his gaze and chuckled to himself.

“Do you want to come back to my place?” he asked quietly. I gave him a small smile and nodded.

“That would be fun,” I slurred slightly, the alcohol finally taking effect. He grinned and gently tugged me off the stool. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he led me out of the bar and down the street.

 

\-----

 

Damn, Erik was pretty smooth. It must have been a European thing.

The moment we were in the door of his large apartment, he had managed to set the mood. He had dim lights in every room, and the way he looked at me was almost hypnotic.

“You’re so handsome, Abel…” he muttered seductively in my ear as he took my jacket off for me, causing me to shiver a bit with excitement.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I whispered in reply, turning to face him. He was tall, even more than Cain was, and he had to lean down at a harsh angle to gaze into my eyes, not that he seemed to mind. Looking down at me, he appeared to be so fascinated by my face. Actually, he seemed entranced by my… everything. It was a refreshing feeling.

As Erik grazed his hands down the sides of my torso, I returned the touch by trailing my own hands up his muscular arms and to his bare neck. Keeping eye contact, he slowly leaned in and closed the distance between our mouths. He tasted like alcohol, but I honestly didn’t care. He was a damn good kisser. As our mouths moved against one another, our pace suddenly changed from a slow one to a frantic and passionate one when he unexpectedly started to rub his tongue against my own.

Picking me up by my legs, it took Erik absolutely no effort to move us over into the living room, where enormous windows looked out over the skyline of the city.

Refusing to break our kisses, we only broke contact to take off our various items of clothing, and in no time, I found myself completely naked against him as he held me by my legs and entered me, my back pressed against the glass.

Trailing his kisses down my jaw, Erik began thrusting at a moderate speed, but as he quickened, waves of pleasure ran through me.

“Ahh... shit!” I moaned as I threw my head back against the window. I tangled my fingers in his hair as he latched his lips onto my neck, thrusting into me with newfound speed.

“ _Das ist recht. Schrei für mich, Abel,_ ” he said, flaunting his German.

“I have no idea what you just said, but -- ah! -- it was really hot,” I moaned, earning a slight chuckle from him.

The cold glass pressed against me contrasted well with the heat between Erik and I. His apartment had an amazing view of the city, which is probably why this floor-to-ceiling window wall was put in. However, I didn’t have much time to admire the view behind me as Erik suddenly hit my prostate dead on, causing me to let out a loud scream. I heard his moans right next to my ear as his free hand wrapped around my erection.

“Oh, fuck-- _Cain_!” I moaned, my orgasm finally washing over me.

After coming down from my high, I opened my eyes to find Erik frowning at me.

“Who the hell is Cain?” he asked, slightly offended. My jaw dropped slightly. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

 

* * *

 

**Cain**

 

“ _Abel_ ….” I whispered as I finally reached my peak, fingers digging into his shoulder blades. After we both came down from our highs, I pulled out of the blond pressed between me and the mattress and flopped down next to him. I reached over and grabbed the pack of cigarettes off the nightstand and placed one between my lips before offering one to him. He grabbed one and held it out for me to light it.

“Who’s Abel?” he asked, taking a drag. I froze. _What?_

“What do you mean?” I asked back, resting one hand on the back of my head and pretending that I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Abel. You said Abel when you came,” he said, turning to look at me. I glared daggers at him.

“None of your damned business, Nikita,” I replied bluntly. I hadn’t spoken to Abel in nearly five months now, and I wasn’t keen on discussing him with my most recent fuck.

“My name is Nikolai,” he snapped. “And why won’t you tell me who this ‘Abel’ is? You and I know for a fact that you’re never going to see me, or fuck me, again. So what’s the big fucking deal?”

I scoffed in response. He was right, considering we had only just met that night at the bar a couple of blocks down, but I wouldn’t admit he was right. Despite any prying this guy tried, I couldn’t let him in. That place in my heart was off-limits now.

“So, who was he?” he pressed on. I stared up at the ceiling, an aching pain in my chest.

“Nobody. He was nobody.”


	17. Cain

**Chapter 17**

**Cain**

 

It was searing hot. Like, Satan’s-asshole-kind-of-hot.

Truly, there was nothing quite like drowning in your own sweat and feeling it boiling around you. On the bright side, though, Anya and I didn’t have a high gas bill for using the stove too much, since we could just make our ramen noodles and fry our eggs by simply placing them in the windowsills and letting nature take care of the rest. Nonetheless, though, I would have preferred to not be slowly dying of heat stroke.

Normally, Moscow wasn’t this hot, even if it was the middle of July, but for some reason, mother nature decided to shove logic up the asses of every citizen within a hundred-mile radius, more specifically those without air conditioning, such as Anya and myself.

I lay on the mattress in my room, my piece-of-crap fan on its highest setting, wearing just my boxers. Anya and I had been walking around the apartment half-naked all week, and although it was kind of kinky, the fact that we were sweating so much kind of ruined the whole aura of it.

As I lay there, trying to keep my body temperature down and staring up at the ceiling whilst listening to my iPod, I vaguely heard a knock on the front door. Taking an earbud out, I heard Anya swear under her breath as she frantically put some clothes on so she looked decent enough to answer it. After hearing her open the door, I became bored and stuck the earbud back in, drowning myself in the music once more.

That was, until I saw Anya peek into my room out of the corner of my eye.

“The fuck is it?” I asked, taking my earbud out yet again. She gave me a devilish grin.

“Someone’s here to see you,” she muttered to me. I groaned.

“If it’s that Nathan kid I slept with trying to get his earbuds back, tell him it’s not going to happen,” I retorted, turning on my side to look at the opposing wall. I heard Anya sigh.

“No, it’s not Nikolai. But he _is_ cute,” she explained. “And blonde.”

Turning to face her, I frowned a bit. Had I forgotten about someone else I had met at the bar? I suppose I would have to get up and find out, despite the hassle of getting up.

Slowly rising from my sweaty hibernation, I slipped on the closest pair of shorts and, without bothering to cover my torso because it was just too damned hot, stepped out into the living area.

Looking over to the third person in the room, I immediately froze.

“...Abel?” I muttered, unable to form any other words. Turning around to face me, he widened his eyes, as if even he had been surprised to find me in my own apartment. Frankly, I wasn’t sure which of us looked stupider in that moment, staring at each other like open-mouthed idiots, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure about much of anything.

“Umm, uh… Hi, C-Cain,” Abel stuttered as he spoke my name.

He looked pretty much the same as when I had last seen him, except maybe that he appeared thinner. Had he been eating enough? The thought of it made my blood curdle. However, as Abel stood there, holding Sacha in his arms and petting him, so many emotions were flooding through me that I had no clue how to react.

“Hi…” I slurred in reply.

Standing between the two of us, Anya looked back and forth confusedly, but suddenly broke the silence when she realized what was happening.

“Wait, _you’re_ Abel?!” she exclaimed, pointing to him accusingly. Turning to look at her, he nodded slowly. Anya’s eyes widened a bit, noticing that she was out of place.

“Oh, well, then. I’m just going to… go into my room so the two of you can, uh, talk and stuff.” With that, she speed-walked over to her bedroom, quickly shutting the door behind herself, leaving Abel and me in silence.

“What… are you doing here?” I asked Abel as I ran my fingers through my hair in shock. He took a moment before responding.

“Well, I, uh… I’m actually doing an internship with the Netherlands Space Office over in Amsterdam,” he explained. I gave him a look of confusion.

“ _Amsterdam?_ ” I questioned. “That’s not close by at all.” Abel huffed in exasperation.

“I know, I know, but at least it’s not a fucking ocean away, alright?” he retorted. Raising my hands up in surrender, I let the subject drop, and turned to go into the kitchen. Looking into the fridge, I spoke to Abel.

“So… can I get you anything? We have… water. And vodka,” I offered to Abel. Following me into the kitchen, he averted his gaze as he answered me.

“Water sounds great right now, thanks,” he answered somewhat meekly.

It was blatantly obvious that he was nervous right now, that much I could tell. He wasn’t the only one, though. Never had I ever expected him to show up at my shitty Moscow apartment, much less after what I had done to him. We sat on opposite ends of the couch after I had gotten him a glass of water.

“...Why are you here?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. Abel gave me a surprised look, obviously taken a bit off-guard by the question.

“Uh, I just…” he stuttered, obviously unsure of the reason behind his visit. “...I’m sorry,” he muttered. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” I exclaimed, maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, uh, no. It’s fine. You can stay.” Abel nodded slowly.

“I… I think I came here because I just wanted to see you,” he answered a bit too truthfully. I felt a twinge in my heart.

 _Abel…_ I thought to myself. _You’re such a cute fucking idiot._

“Don’t tell me you missed me,” I said cockily. “You might boost my ego too much.” Abel gave a half-smile.

“What if I said that I… want to be friends?” he muttered almost inaudibly. I felt my stomach flip.

_Friends?_

“...Sure, we can be friends, if you want,” I replied without thinking.

 _Fuck._ I was internally punching myself.

Before we could say anything else to each other, however, Anya broke the awkwardness by opening her door once again and parading into the living area.

“If you two are done getting all touchy-feely, I would enjoy going to eat somewhere that has the godsend that we know as air conditioning,” she said, crossing her arms and staring down at us. Looking over to Abel, I spoke.

“Does that sound alright to you?” I asked him. He quickly nodded in response.

“And afterwards, we can go to the Underground!” Anya exclaimed excitedly. I frowned a bit.

“I don’t know if it would be okay to bring Abel there…” I muttered. Suddenly, though, Abel spoke up.

“And why not?” he asked, sounding somewhat offended. “What’s the Underground?”

“It’s great, you’ll love it!” Anya replied with vigor. “It’s a secret gay club down in an abandoned station that used to be part of the Metro subway system. It’s probably, what, like 50 meters below the surface?” she said, turning to me. I sighed.

“Yeah, I think so. It helps to drown out the sound of the music and stuff, and the only way in is through a back alleyway over in Golyanovo, which is kind of a shady part of town.”

“If I’m with you two, though, we should be fine, right?” Abel asked. I shifted my gaze downwards.

“Well, yeah, but lately there’s been rumors that the government found out about it, and they’re gonna demolish it sometime soon for supporting gay propaganda, so I’m not so sure we should go.”

“There has?” Anya asked, giving me a questioning look. I nodded.

“How about we just do dinner then come back here?” I asked her. Glaring down at me, she put her hands on her hips.

“I’m calling bullshit, Cain,” she responded. “Plus, coming back here sounds boring. I wanna get smashed tonight, so we’re going. After all, if what you’re saying is true, it won’t be the first time we’ve run from the cops.” At the mention of this, Abel’s eyes widened a bit in fright.

“Wait… running from the cops?!” he exclaimed, earning a loud laugh from Anya.

“Relax, prettyboy, we’ll be fine,” Anya said happily before turning and going into the bathroom to get ready to leave.

Standing up from my spot on the sofa, I gave a heavy sigh.

I had a bad feeling about this.

 

* * *

 

I looked out across the crowded Underground and observed the hordes of people. There was a large dance floor located at the back of the room and a mixture of tables, chairs, and couches surrounding it. In the front, there was a large bar, which was where Abel was sitting alone. I was standing back by the DJ, who was a good friend of mine. I couldn’t see Anya, but that just meant she was probably preoccupied.

My eyes were locked on Abel, though. His white-blond hair was glowing under the black lights above the bar. The way his t-shirt and jeans clung to him made me want to rip them off and fuck him into oblivion.

 _No._ I thought to myself. _You can’t do that anymore._

“Cain, are you okay?” Dimitri asked, pulling me from my X-rated thoughts.

“Yeah, fine,” I replied bluntly. He frowned at me.

“I see you mentally undressing the cute blond at the bar. I’ve never known you to not go after a guy. What’s up with that?” he asked. I shrugged.

“I can’t have that one,” I said sadly. He nodded in understanding and didn’t press the issue further.

As I watched Abel from across the room, however, I noticed the guy next to him sitting too close to be strictly friendly.

I know I shouldn't have cared, or let it bother me so much, but when the guy placed his hand on Abel's thigh, that was the deciding factor.

I felt a sharp pang run through my chest and growled slightly. Without saying goodbye to Dimitri, I strode over to the bar. Leaning beside Abel, I gave the guy on the other side of him a very clear ‘Back the Fuck Off’ glare.

"Oh, hey Cain," Abel said, looking up at me. When he saw the look I was giving the guy next to him, though, he frowned furiously. " _Is there something wrong?"_ he asked, annoyed.

"Oh, is this your friend or something?" the guy asked Abel and gestured to me. I scowled.

"Yeah, and as his friend I would like to politely ask you to back off of him," I snarled at him. Abel gasped at turned so he was fully facing me.

"Cain, don't be rude," he chided, causing me to snort.

"That's like telling a fish not to swim. And no, I won't, because this guy is getting too close for comfort," Abel glared at me.

"Maybe for _you,_ but not for me, so just leave Aleks and me alone, okay?" I growled.

"No, I won't," I refused, gripping Abel's wrist.

"Cain, what the hell are you--" Abel exclaimed, trying to free his hand from my grasp.

"We're leaving," I said simply before pulling Abel and forcing him out the door behind me.

Stepping out into the refreshing night air, Abel continued to struggle to get free.

"Where are we going?! What about Anya?!" he asked in anger.

"Home. And Anya's definitely not gonna come back tonight, but I'm guessing you probably didn't notice her all over that redhead in the corner because you were too busy with What's-His-Face," I accused, not bothering to look back at Abel as we sped down the sidewalk.

"What the hell has gotten into you?!" Abel questioned as we descended down into the subway system. I refused to answer, however, because I really didn't even know the answer myself.

 

* * *

 

By the time we had returned to the apartment, Abel had stopped struggling. Finally letting go of his hand, I turned and locked the door behind us.

Upon looking back to face Abel, however, I saw that he was giving me the biggest death glare I had ever seen. Crossing my arms, I returned the threatening gaze.

“... _What_?” I snarled at him, breaking the silence. Abel groaned.

“I think you fucking know ‘what’!” he scolded, throwing his hands up in the air. “Why the hell did you do that? I was actually trying to have a good fucking time, if you hadn’t noticed!”

“Looks like he was definitely gonna try giving you a good ‘fucking’ time, if you know what I mean,” I retorted, stepping into the kitchen. Fuming, Abel followed me.

“And if he did? Guess what-- it wouldn’t have been any of your damn business!” he shouted from behind me.

I let out a low growl and slammed my hands down on the countertop, not wanting to turn and look Abel in the eyes.

It was true; I didn’t have any say in the matter. I didn’t have any privilege to tell Abel who he could and couldn’t sleep with, or kiss, or even flirt with. But yet, I still couldn’t bear to see him be touched by anyone other than…

_God fucking damn it._

“Cain, you’re such a pompous asshole!” Abel argued at me furiously. “You fucking _walk out_ on me and then you agree to be friends, but you still have the _audacity_ to pull this shit!”

The more he screamed at me, the faster my heart was beating. Or was it breaking?

“Why the hell do you think you have the right to keep me from trying to move on?!” Abel shouted. “Why would you even--”

“Because!” I shouted, earning a scowl from him.

“That’s not a fucking reason, Cain! Give me one _good_ reason why you think you have the right to give a shit about who I can or cannot fuck and I will let it go.” I felt his eyes boring into my back as he glared daggers at me before continuing. "See? You can't think of one. Therefore you have no--"

“Because I _still_ _love you_!” I exclaimed, interrupting him again and turning to face him.

Suddenly, the room was dead silent, and all Abel could do was stare at me in shock while my heart continued to race.

I half-expected him to scream at me more, but his expression suddenly turned from one of anger, to one of remorse, and then to one of relief. And, before I could process what was happening, Abel came up to me at almost lightning speed, grabbed the collar of my jacket, and smashed his lips against mine in an angry but passionate kiss.

At first, I was completely taken aback, and I helplessly went limp for a moment. However, Abel refused to break the contact between our mouths, and I suddenly felt waves of emotions rush through me; frustration, relief, desire, and, most likely, love. I couldn’t deny any longer that I had feelings for Abel. Was I scared? Hell yes. But I didn’t care, and as the fear dissipated, it was replaced with the need to touch and hold him.

Growling against his mouth with need, I hungrily drew my hands up to cup Abel’s face and proceeded to kiss him even harder. It had been so long since we had last kissed that the feeling was almost brand-new, while at the same time pleasurably nostalgic. His lips were still as soft as they had ever been, and although his breath had a tinge of the taste of alcohol to it, it didn’t matter to me. I was just happy to be right there, pressed up against him, where I had so desperately wanted to be for the past five months.

As I slid my tongue against his, I trailed my hands down Abel’s torso and thighs before lifting him up to straddle me. Without breaking our kiss, I carried Abel into my bedroom and tossed him down onto my mattress, quickly crawling onto it after him.

“Cain…” he moaned, looking at me with lusty eyes. Before he could finish his sentence, though, I silenced him with another kiss. Pulling away after a moment, I lifted a hand to caress his cheek and whispered to him.

“I’m sorry,” I said simply. “I’m sorry for everything. For leaving, for being an asshole, for not trusting you, for not explaining…” Abel gave me a small smile.

“You don’t have to explain, at least not right now,” he muttered. “For now, I just want you to make love to me, because you have no idea how much I need you right now.” I gave a low chuckle at the last part.

“I think I might have some idea…” I replied before pressing our mouths together again. It was true; I did know how he felt, because I was feeling it too. In fact, I realized that I wanted to share almost all of my feelings with Abel from now on. I previously had been scared to share anything with him simply because of my distrust in my parents, but when I saw Abel that day, standing in my apartment, I finally realized how stupid I was for not expressing myself to him. I made a mental note that I would have to do that later, once I was done fucking him to high heaven.

“Mmm…” Abel moaned against my mouth, pulling me from my thoughts. He was obviously urging me to keep going, and I happily obeyed by unzipping the thin jacket he had on and slipping my hands beneath the hem of his shirt to caress his stomach, refusing to part my lips from his. Sadly, Abel took the liberty of doing so anyways and looked up at me.

“It’s so fucking hot in here,” he complained, tugging at the fabric of my shirt. He was right. Despite it being nearly one in the morning, it was still hot as balls inside. I couldn’t help but take the opportunity for a joke, though, and smirked down at him.

“Are you sure it isn’t just me?” I replied with a chuckle. Abel cracked a small smile, but remained firm.

“I’m serious,” he pouted.

“Hi serious, I’m Cain,” I replied with a snort before falling down next to Abel, laughing uncontrollably. Turning to look at me, it wasn’t long before Abel gave in to his giggles as well.

After a few moments of laughing, the two of us managed to recompose ourselves, and Abel looked directly into my eyes longingly.

“Cain,” he almost-whispered, grabbing my attention.

“Yes, Princess?” I responded as I slid my hand over to his and intertwined our fingers.

“...I still love you, too.”

My heart skipped a beat. Was I dreaming? If it was, no way in hell did I ever want to wake up. Listening to Abel say he loved me, rather than having it be frightening like it was before, was now music to my ears. And, to be honest, that wasn’t all I wanted to hear from him.

“I have an idea,” I said, turning my head to look at him. He smiled at me and I sat up before tugging him off the bed and out of my room. As soon as we were in the kitchen, I turned to face him and pulled him close. Bending down to kiss him, I placed my hands on his hips. Slowly, I slid them up under his shirt, breaking away from his lips only long enough to throw the article of clothing somewhere in the living area.

As I walked backwards into the bathroom, I hooked my fingers into the belt loops of his jeans and pulled him towards me. As soon as he started following my path on his own, I moved my fingers to work at the button and zipper of his pants. He groaned slightly when I slipped my hands under the fabric to rub at his half-hard erection.

“Mmn… the bathroom?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. I smirked.

“Yeah, I think we could both do with a little cooling down,” I replied before pulling my own shirt off in one quick movement and letting it drop onto the tile floor.

“I had hoped we were just warming up, though…” he said, gazing into my eyes and undoing the button and zipper of my own jeans. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly slid my pants down my thighs before letting them fall the rest of the way to the floor. Biting his lip, he moved his fingers to trail along the waistband of my boxers, teasing me.

“Oh, I fucking missed you,” I growled at him.

“Did you fucking miss me, or did you miss fucking me?” he asked, smirking up at me. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“Both. I think both is a good answer,” I replied seductively before capturing his lips in my own and sliding both his pants and boxers down his legs, freeing his erection.

“Mmh!” he moaned in surprise against my mouth. Bringing one hand up to entangle my fingers in his hair, I used the other hand to trail down between his legs and slowly pump up and down on his length.

As he let out sweet little moans and gasps, I stepped backwards once more, allowing for Abel to completely step out of his last articles of clothing, leaving him fully naked and me with just my underwear left.

As I stroked him and kissed him, though, I saw something in my peripheral vision: the reflection of the two of us in the large bathroom mirror. Having the ability to view Abel like this from two different angles was incredibly intoxicating, and suddenly another idea popped into my mind.

Pulling away from our kisses, I leaned in so I could whisper into Abel’s ear.

“Turn around,” I commanded. Gazing up at me with hazy eyes, Abel nodded and spun so that I was now positioned directly behind him.

Growling hungrily, I took hold of Abel’s hips and pushed him towards the countertop and sink so that he was now leaning over it and staring directly into the mirror as I began to lick and suck at the back of his neck.

“Ahh! Mmm, Cain…” he moaned, gripping the cold surface of the counter.

Looking up at our reflection again, I saw Abel had his eyes closed, but, combined with his slightly opened mouth and the wonderful noises he made each time I slid my hand up his length, I knew he was enjoying every second of my touching him.

“Cain, please…” Abel moaned, his hot breath fogging up the mirror. _Fuck, he’s incredible…_

“Please what?” I asked, teasing him. Sliding a hand over to grab my arm, he groaned.

“ _Please_ , just... fuck me already!” he pleaded, his breath becoming more and more uneven as I pleasured him.

“Don’t you want to savor this?” I asked, increasing my pace on his cock, causing him to emit more beautiful whimpers and gasps.

“I’ve… done enough savoring,” he replied, out of breath. “I just need you inside me. It’s been over two months since I’ve done this…”

At the last comment, I halted my hand on him, and gave him a questioning look in the reflection of the mirror.

“What do you mean, two months? We haven’t seen each other in at least five.” Abel let out a gasp, obviously caught off-guard at my response, and averted his gaze to look over at the wall.

“Well, I mean, I got lonely, so there was this one guy at my internship…” he muttered before trailing off. He didn’t need to finish the sentence, though, because I already knew.

“ _Oh hell no,_ ” I growled before wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him towards the shower. The thought of another guy fucking Abel made me want to scream, punch someone, and possibly commit murder. However, right now, I was intent on reminding him who truly belonged inside of him.

Reaching in the shower door, I turned the water on to just below body temperature. It was still warm, but also cooler than the air outside of the little glass room.

Ushering Abel into the shower, I quickly slid off my last remaining article of clothing before following him inside. Looking at him with need, I attacked his mouth with mine and pressed my body flush against his, pushing his back up against the cool, tiled wall.

“Fuck, it’s cold!” Abel muttered as I attacked his neck with nibbles and kisses. As the water poured over the two of us, I slowly trailed my kisses lower and lower until I was kneeling in front of him.

Suddenly realizing that I didn’t have any lube in the shower, I looked around and saw Anya’s bottle of Almond Shower Oil. Sighing slightly, I grabbed it and poured some into my hand. Reaching around Abel, I slowly pushed a finger inside of him. Wrapping my other hand around his length and pumping slowly, I looked up at him. His eyes were clenched shut and his hair was sopping wet and sticking to his forehead. He looked absolutely magnificent and, as soon as I added a second finger, threw his head back against the tile wall and moaned loudly. Holy fuck, he was gorgeous.

“Cain…” he said, looking down at me with half-lidded eyes. “Fuck me already.”

Withdrawing my fingers, I stood up and grabbed hold of his thighs, lifting his legs up so that he could wrap them around my waist, trapping him between my body and the tiled wall.

I positioned my now fully hard erection at his entrance, and, slowly pressing my hips forward, I slid inside of him, my breath hitching at the pleasure of just how tight and warm he was.

“God, you’re fucking perfect,” I whispered to him.

“I could… say the same to you…” he said shakily. I smirked against the side of his neck and began moving my hips back and forth at a slow, even pace. He may not have wanted to savor the moment, but I sure as hell did.

I made a vow to myself that I would always handle him, touch him, care for him, and if I must admit, love him like I could lose him at any moment. I don’t know what I would do if I had to repeat those achingly long five months again. The entire time, I felt alone, empty, and more broken than I had ever felt before. I was going to do my damnedest to make sure I never lost him again.

“Cain,” he groaned, pulling me back to reality.

“What is it, Princess?” I asked before placing a kiss on his shoulder.

“Please -- oh god -- Please go faster…” he begged, fingers running through my hair. I pulled back and looked at him.

“As you wish,” I said before immediately and drastically increasing my speed. Abel nearly screamed and dug his fingers into my back while clenching his other hand in my hair. Judging from his reaction, I hit the perfect spot. Supporting him with one hand, I moved the other to wrap around his length. When he clenched his entrance around me, I knew that I was going to cum faster than a thirteen year old who had just discovered porn.

Pulling back, I pressed my forehead against his.

“Abel…” I said. He moaned slightly in response, mouth agape slightly. “Look at me…”

He struggled to open his eyes and stared at me through his damp eyelashes. As I looked at him, trying so hard to keep his eyes open, mouth agape as pants and moans fell over his lips, I felt my release hit me like a tidal wave. Shortly after, I heard the all too familiar sounds of Abel cumming as well.

After he and I both came down, he opened his eyes fully and smiled up at me, water still dripping down his face.

“I missed that,” he chuckled.

“I missed you,” I countered. He blushed slightly.

“I know,” he said simply before pressing his lips against mine gently.

I smiled widely at him and backed up slightly. Pulling him forward and out from under the stream of water I reached over and grabbed my shampoo. Pouring a small amount into my palm, I rubbed my hands together before moving them to massage Abel’s scalp. He closed his eyes and smiled as I worked a lather into his hair. As soon as I was satisfied with the amount of bubbles on his head, I slowly trailed my hands down his neck and torso, rubbing the soap across his skin. He was so beautiful. So beautiful and mine again.

 

* * *

 

After successfully showering, we dried off and went back into my bedroom. It was cooler now, but still slightly sticky due to the humidity. Abel was curled up beside me with a hand resting on my chest. I had an arm wrapped around him with my fingers laced with his other hand, which was resting on his side. As we lay there, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift to something he had said earlier.

“So, who was this guy you fucked in Amsterdam?” I asked, looking down at him. He sighed slightly.

“Actually, it was in Düsseldorf, and I was lonely and drunk…” he started quietly. “And… he reminded me of you…”

“That’s it?” I said, smiling to myself. He turned his head to look up at me with a smirk.

“And I thought of you as he fucked me against a window.” I laughed loudly.

“That window idea actually sounds really good, we should put it on our list,” I replied quietly.

Turning my head to gaze at Abel, though, I realized that he had already fallen asleep, and was breathing softly, a tiny smile visible on his lips. He really had to stop being so cute.

Setting my head back down on my pillow, I let the feeling of Abel’s body pressed against mine lull me into a deep, wonderful sleep.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a train passing by, causing the floor beneath my mattress to shake slightly. However, as I turned my head to find Abel still next to me, I was happy to notice that the noise hadn’t woken him yet. He still remained peacefully asleep, his soft breathing causing his chest to rise and fall at an even pace.

It continued to amaze me, how beautiful and perfect he was. As the early morning sun shone in through the windows, some of the light landed on Abel’s face and hair, causing him to almost glow.

The emptiness I had been feeling for almost half a year now was finally gone, and re-filled with Abel’s presence. No matter how much I tried moving on from him, it couldn’t happen, and I had come to find last night that the same was true for him, which only made my heart flutter even more.

I felt like such a sap, but I really didn’t give a single flying fuck.

Lifting a hand up to caress Abel’s face, I knew what I had to do today. I had to make it up to Abel, to start planning how we were gonna make this relationship work.

“Princess,” I said quietly to wake him up. Groaning, Abel opened his eyes slightly, and looked up at me.

“Mmn…” he groaned, still groggy from sleep. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly at seeing him so out of it.

“Good morning,” I whispered to him. He yawned and stretched his arms and legs.

“I almost forgot we were in Russia…” he admitted, causing me to emit another laugh.

“Hopefully you didn’t forget what happened last night, though,” I replied, trailing a hand up his bare chest. Blushing, Abel returned the touch.

“That would be impossible,” he said with a smile.

After giving Abel a quick peck on the lips, I got up from the soft mattress, put on the first pair of boxers I could find, and made my way into the kitchen.

“What do you want for breakfast?” I hollered to Abel as I rummaged several cooking pans out of the cupboard. “Bacon, eggs, pancakes?” Rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he entered the kitchen as well, wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers, Abel spoke.

“...Can we have all three?” he asked meekly. Laughing, I opened the fridge.

“Needy, aren’t we? I guess all three is okay, though,” I responded as I pulled out the necessary ingredients.

 

After everything was cooked and ready, Abel and I sat down together at the small dining table to eat.

“Wow!” exclaimed Abel after taking several bites. “You’re cooking is still as good as ever.” I smirked.

“Really? I think it’s gotten even better,” I bragged before biting off part of a slice of bacon. Abel grinned at me.

“Don’t get too full of yourself, now,” he chided jokingly before continuing to take mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.

For several minutes, we sat there in silence, quietly enjoying our food, until Abel spoke up again.

“Cain?” he said, setting the fork he was using down onto his plate. Looking up, I saw that he had managed to clean every bit of food off of his plate, and in record time no less.

“Yeah?” I asked after taking a sip of milk. He sighed slightly and fiddled with his hands before responding.

“Where are you going to school in the fall?”

“Where do you think?” I asked, smirking to myself. He shrugged slightly.

“I don’t know. You said they would pay for your tuition if you came back to Russia, so I figured you would do that,” he responded. “In all honesty, I kind of hoped that you wouldn’t accept their offer, which sounds hypocritical and selfish of me, but--”

“Abel,” I cut him off. He looked at me and blushed. “I convinced them to let me stay at Sleipnir.”

“Really?!” he exclaimed, face bright. I nodded and didn’t bother trying to fight the smile that spread across my face. “How did you manage to do that?”

“A while back, I told them that I had pledged Alpha Kappa and they just asked how school in America was. I guess I sounded really enthusiastic about it, so they decided that as long as I come home for breaks, they’re going to pay for my schooling. I have to keep my grades up, though, so I think I’ll have to keep being tutored,” I finished with a wink.

Biting his lip slightly, he stood up and strode over to my side of the small table. Placing a hand on my cheek, he pressed his lips against mine.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t wait until August…” Abel said quietly, tracing circles on my chest with his soft fingertips.

It was early in the afternoon, and it had finally started to rain after such a long dry period, causing the air to cool down. Abel and I were lying on the ratty couch in the small living area, a small, thin blanket draped over us. He looked so beautiful with his cheek pressed against my chest, hair damp with sweat from earlier activities.

“I can’t wait either, Princess,” I whispered to him. He smiled slightly and looked up at me.

“Why do you call me that?” he asked, referring to his nickname. I shrugged.

“‘Goldilocks’ didn’t have a nice ring to it and ‘Sweetcheeks’ was too sickeningly sappy. Plus, I used to do it to piss you off and it just kind of stuck,” I said. He just stared at me, so I added, “Do you not like the fact that you’re my princess?”

“I love the fact that I’m your princess,” he responded with a grin. “You should tell me more.”

“More what?”

“I dunno… Just more things about you,” he asked with a shrug.

“Like what?” I said with a snort.

“How about we play the question game?” he suggested. I gave a surprised look.

“Are you serious? What are we, thirteen-year-old girls at a slumber party?” I said in a snarky tone. Abel scowled.

“Come on, Cain! It’s not like that. I just want to ask you questions and get honest answers. You did mention once upon a time that there were things I didn’t know about you.”

I ran my hand through my hair. He was right, I had said that. And, I supposed that since I had been so against talking about my past before, I should probably take the opportunity to be completely honest with Abel. Sighing, I gave him a terse nod.

“Alright, fine. We can play the… question game,” I said, mocking what Abel had said earlier. “Nothing is off-limits.” Looking up at me with bright eyes, Abel smiled.

“Okay, then I will go first,” he began. “What… what things happened after… your grandma died?” My breath hitched a bit.

“Wow, way to start out heavy,” I said, staring up at the ceiling and rubbing my face nervously.

“Sorry, it was just the first thing that popped into my head,” Abel replied apologetically. I sighed heavily before answering him.

“After she died, I couldn’t go home. I just couldn’t bring myself to sit in that empty house surrounded by all her things. I still haven’t been back there for more than five minutes to get my belongings. Anyways, instead of going home, I went to the Underground. Back then, it was shadier than it is today. Now they’ve got some things sorted out and there’s not as much illegal activity as there used to be.

“After spending most of the night sitting on the couch debating on whether or not I want to get high, drunk, fucked, or a combination thereof, I finally got drunk off my ass and went home with this really iffy guy. He took me back to his place and introduced me to some pretty hard shit. There was acid, shrooms, cocaine...” I said, cringing at the memories. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I pulled him even closer to me.

“I was a fifteen year old kid without any parents trying to survive. This guy only let me stay with him for a couple days before he demanded payment of some kind. I tried to tell him that I didn’t have any money, but he didn’t listen. He was the only person I knew of who would put a roof over my head, so I did what I had to keep it…”

“What was that?” Abel asked quietly. I was silent for a moment before sighing heavily and looking up at the sky.

“I either had to give him money or my body, and since I didn’t have any money…” I paused.

“Cain…” Abel started. I shook my head and let out a nervous laugh.

“I stayed with him for almost six months before I left. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I went back to the Underground. That was when I met Anya. She was getting hit on by a couple of guys. She looked visibly uncomfortable, so I came up to them and introduced myself as her boyfriend.

“After the guys left, she said that I looked too young to be in a bar. I was feeling rather pitiful that night, so I told her that I didn’t have anywhere else to go. As a ‘thank you,’ she let me crash on her floor that night. I left in the morning before she got up, being sure to leave a thank-you note.

“After that, though, I found out that the asshole who let me stay at his place before didn’t like the fact that I had left without permission, and sent his lackeys after me. It got pretty bloody when they finally found me.

“I sat there in the dark, dank tunnel alone and in pain for a couple hours when who else but Anya pops up and takes me back to her place again. She let me stay with her without expecting anything in return. We’ve been best friends ever since,” I finished and turned to look at Abel, who hadn’t said a word since I started talking.

“So how old’s Anya?” he asked quietly.

“At the time, she was twenty. She’s almost twenty-four now, why?”

“Just curious,” he said with a shrug. “So, since you were roommates for so long, did anything happen between you?”

“Nope,” I said before smiling to myself. “Wait. There was that one time we got really shitfaced and neither of us could find dates, so we figured why the fuck not. It was the only time either of us have ever gone straight, and we decided that it was not going to happen again.” Abel gave me a small smile.

“Good, otherwise I would be extremely jealous,” he commented, brushing his fingers across my cheek. “To be honest, when she first opened the door, I had this crazy thought that she was your girlfriend or something.” I laughed out loud

“Funny, but no. It would be like dating a sister,” I answered. “Plus…” I trailed off.

“Plus what?” questioned Abel with curiosity.

“Plus, I like sucking dick too much,” I finished with a smirk. Abel’s cheeks turned a shade of pink.

“I know, I’ve noticed,” he replied, averting his gaze.

I snorted at his embarrassment, which soon turned into full-blown laughter. He leaned upward and frowned down at me. As soon as my laughs turned into giggles before diminishing completely, he leaned down and captured my lips in a soft, sweet kiss. I parted my lips just enough so that he could brush our tongues together as he moved his hand up to cup my cheek. Running my fingers across his ribcage, I moaned slightly. I was on cloud nine. Making out with a naked Abel in a dark apartment with the rain pouring down outside was, without doubt, one of my favorite things in the world.

After several perfect minutes of kissing Abel, I vaguely heard the front door open.

“Cain, I swear to god, if you brought home another fucking blond guy, I will literally shove a frying pan up--”

“Shut up, Anya,” I said, cutting her off. Abel looked up at her, face flushed. He buried his head in the crook of my shoulder and giggled slightly from embarrassment.

“Oh, well. On another note, I really quite enjoy fucking drunk straight girls who take me home and then kick me out of their apartment when their boyfriend shows up in the morning,” she said sarcastically before disappearing into her room. A few seconds later, she stomped back out and into the bathroom. As soon as the sound of running water could be heard, Abel sat up and looked at me.

“That was awkward.”

“She doesn’t give a shit. She’s just pissed because girls are harder to understand than guys. That’s part of the reason I’m gay,” I said with a chuckle. Abel giggled before standing up and pulling the blanket to wrap it around himself, leaving me completely naked on the couch. Grabbing hold of the end of it, I tugged on the blanket as Abel walked away, making it fall to the ground. He squealed a little and turned around to glare at me.

“What?” I asked innocently, looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

“That was rude,” he said bluntly. Smirking, I stood up and wrapped an arm around his waist. I bent over hooked my other arm behind his knees and swept him off his feet. He squealed again and wrapped his arms around my neck. I carried him into my bedroom and kicked the door shut behind us. I laid him down on the mattress before grabbing the sheet that was at the foot of the bed and lying down beside him and pulling the soft fabric over us.

“When do you go back to Amsterdam?” I asked, brushing my nose against his. He sighed lightly and dropped his gaze from my eyes.

“My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon,” he said sadly, running his hands across my chest.

“Hey,” I whispered, lifting his chin up with my finger. “We’ll see each other again. I promise.”

He gave me a small smile and gently pressed his lips against mine again. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against mine.

“I love you…” he said quietly. I grinned slightly and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him against me.

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

When I woke up the next morning, I was alone. Furrowing my eyebrows, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. Abel was nowhere to be found and I was about to have a small panic attack before he came into my bedroom. He smiled down at me from where he stood near the door. Without a word, he came over and sat down next to me.

“Are you leaving?” I asked, failing to cover up the sadness in my voice. He nodded slightly.

“Yeah. I have to catch a train to the airport. Sorry for not waking you up sooner,” he replied, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together.

“I was kinda hoping for some kinky goodbye sex, but I guess I’ll have to make do without,” I said jokingly. He laughed and shrugged.

“So was I, but I didn’t have the heart to wake you up. You just looked so peaceful.”

“Abel,” I said, “Never, ever hesitate to wake me up for sex. Ever.”

He laughed and pressed his lips against mine. Bringing a hand up to tangle in his hair, I moaned against his mouth. Before I could silently coax him into a quickie, though, he pulled back and stood up again.

“Wait!” I exclaimed before he could turn to leave.

“What?” he asked, confused. I sighed heavily and rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

“Shit, I’ve never done this before, uh…” I trailed off.

“Never done what before?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I just… thought I should ask… Uhm… Will you… be my boyfriend? I guess,” I finally managed to form the right words.

“...I’ll think about it,” he said emotionlessly before letting go of my hand and walking out into the living area, leaving me alone in my room.

 

* * *

 

 _Shit_ , I thought to myself. Flopping back down onto the bed, I groaned to myself and covered my face with a pillow. I fucked it up already, like I did most things. I had him again and then I had to go and ask for a commitment. How fucking stupid was I?

There was probably still going to be a trust issue for awhile, considering the shit that I had done to him, so how in the world could I possibly expect for Abel to commit to me? Me, the epitome of iffy and incapable of repressing desires. It amazed me sometimes how much of a fool I could be.

After a few minutes of lying there alone, wallowing in my incredible stupidity, I felt someone straddle me and sit on my thighs. Pushing the pillow away, I looked up to see Abel grinning down at me. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.

“Of course I will be your boyfriend, Cain,” he said.

“That means no fucking any more Germans,” I retorted with a snicker. He nodded and bit his lip before leaning down and brushing our noses together.

“That also means no more fucking cute blonds from the bar,” he said. “Unless they’re hot and I’m invited.”

“Did you just suggest a three-way?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged. “Not sure I’m willing to share you with anyone. Ever,” I said with a frown. He smiled and pressed his lips against mine.

“Good answer.”

 

* * *

 

Once our solemn goodbyes had been said, I reluctantly let Abel leave, saddened that I would have to wait until late August until I could see him again. Meandering over to the kitchen table, I dropped myself down onto one of the rickety wooden chairs and ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. Suddenly, the apartment seemed so lonely and barren without Abel there. I hated it.

However, my loneliness was suddenly sated when Anya appeared from her bedroom, wearing just a t-shirt and sweat pants. In her arms she held a clothesbasket that was filled past the brim.

“Cain, do you or Abel have any laundry that…” she trailed off, looking around. “Wait, where did he go?”

“He had to go back to Amsterdam,” I said with a sigh. She raised her eyebrows at me.

“...And you didn’t even let me say goodbye?!” she exclaimed in fury. I cracked a small smile.

“Sorry, he didn’t want to miss his train.”

“Are you going to see him again?” she asked, walking over to me. I nodded and slouched in the chair.

“That’s good,” she mumbled, putting the basket on the ground and sitting on my knee.

“What makes you say that? You’ve never liked when I go back for seconds,” I said looking up at her. She shrugged.

“I like him. He’s cute, polite, and…” She sighed before continuing. “And he brings out the best in you. I’ve never seen you this happy.”

“I do _not_ look happy right now,” I snorted. She laughed slightly and stood up.

“Cain, you’re fucking glowing.”

“It’s called an afterglow, Anya.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve seen your afterglow. This is an ‘I’m totally in love’ glow and you get it every single time you talk about him. I’m glad you finally found someone that makes you feel like that. You deserve it.”

Without another word, she picked up the dirty laundry, slipped her sandals on, and left to go downstairs.

She was right, like usual. Abel had changed me in the short time that we had been together the first time. Before now, I didn’t ever think I deserved to be happy, since all I had ever known was loneliness and depression. But when I first met Abel, that afternoon outside the dean’s office, there was a light about him that intrigued me. I had to figure him out, but no matter how hard I tried, he always surprised me. And, to be completely honest, I couldn’t wait to see how he would continue to surprise me in the future. In fact, I looked forward to it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for following this story with us! It has been a great run, and finding a constant flow of kudos and comments brings both Einfachniemand and myself so much joy <3 I apologize that our updates over the past few months have been sporadic, but we have been incredibly busy since our spring semester started with schoolwork and such, and it's difficult to find the time and motivation to write (it's especially hard when we are only getting 6 hours of sleep a night). 
> 
> Before anyone asks, THIS IS THE LAST OFFICIAL CHAPTER! HOWEVER, we are in the process of writing an epilogue at this very moment, and we also have an additional surprise for all of you lovelies after that! So bear with us. And again, THANK YOU! :D


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Abel**

 

**_Six Years Later_ **

 

I blinked my eyes open and was greeted by the dull darkness provided by the blackout curtains in the bedroom. Groaning slightly, I rolled over to face Cain, who was still asleep. Sitting up in bed, I leaned down and pressed our mouths together in a soft kiss. After I pulled back, I saw him smiling at me.

“Morning, Princess,” he said through a yawn. Biting my lip slightly, I trailed my fingers down his jawline.

“Do you know what day it is?” I asked quietly. He snorted to himself before replying.

“It’s Tuesday. Damn, I knew I fucked you hard last night, but I didn’t think you’d lose track of days,” he said, earning a frown from me.

“Yes, but no,” I replied, trying to give him as big a hint as possible.

 _He better not have forgotten..._ I thought to myself.

“Is it National Pancake Day?” he asked curiously. I shook my head, earning a frown from him. “I dunno. What day is it?”

_He forgot._

“Nevermind. You were right. It _is_ Tuesday,” I snapped before throwing the covers off me and rolling off the bed. After stomping to the adjoining bathroom, I all but slammed the door shut behind me.

How in the hell could Cain forget my birthday?

With a frustrated sigh, I hopped into the shower, hoping that maybe the cold water would subside the anger boiling inside me.

Cain had never forgotten my birthday before. The past couple of years that we had been living together in D.C., he would either make me a delicious breakfast in the morning, or have a cheesy banner with ‘Happy Birthday’ hung up in the living room. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the corniness. Whether or not I had completely communicated that to Cain was a different matter. Usually when he did things like that, I simply got embarrassed and said a meek ‘thank you’.

Did he get the impression that I didn’t want to celebrate? That idiot.

The possibility that he might have actually forgotten this year still remained.

It was true that Cain had been pretty busy lately with work. After all, just last month he had been promoted to Assistant Engineering Supervisor at the National Guard Armory, and suddenly had double the responsibilities from before, but that didn’t mean he had an excuse to forget my birthday.

When I came out of the bathroom, he was nowhere to be found, so I sighed and stomped into the closet. After pulling on some clothes, thankful that it didn’t really matter what we wore beneath our lab coats at the NASA research center, I made my way out into the open living area. Without a word, I strode over to the foyer.

“I take it you don’t want me to cook anything for breakfast,” Cain said from the kitchen. Noticing that I was already dressed to leave. I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked out the door, slamming it maybe a little too hard behind me.

 

* * *

 

After one of the most frustrating workdays of my life, with the hours having passed by at an incredibly sluggish pace, I found myself in the elevator headed back up to the apartment. In the eight hours I was at work, no one had acknowledged my birthday. No one. I didn’t get any birthday texts, and the only person who called me over my lunch break had been my mom, and she didn’t even really count. Part of me knew that I was being incredibly petty and childish about it, but today was my day and I wanted to feel special, dammit.

Angrily, I punched in the code that gave me access to the penthouse and rode up to the top floor. As soon as I reached the peak of the building, I stomped out of the elevator. I closed the door and leaned on it for a second before throwing my jacket on the bench next to me. With a heavy sigh, I kicked off my shoes and went into the living area, where Cain was laying stretched out on the couch. Without a word, I flopped down next to his feet and glared at the movie that was on television.

“Rough day, Princess?” Turning, I glared at him.

“Shut up, I’m mad at you,” I snapped. He raised his eyebrows and scoffed in offense.

“What did I do this time?” he asked. I huffed and turned my gaze back to the TV before responding.

“...You forgot my birthday, asshole! Everyone forgot my birthday...” I said, frowning. Breaking the silence, Cain suddenly gave a loud laugh, causing me to flinch in anger and disbelief. What the _fuck_ was funny about this?!

Grabbing the throw pillow next to me, I jumped on top of him and smacked him upside the head with it.

“Ow! What the hell, Abel?” he exclaimed, still letting out spurts of laughter.

“It’s not fucking funny, Cain! It’s my _birthday_ for crying out loud!” Grabbing my wrists, he sat up before pushing me backwards, so that he was now on top of me on the couch.

“I didn’t forget your birthday, Abel,” he said softly, brushing our noses together. I frowned slightly and softened my gaze.

“Then why the fuck haven’t you done anything?” I retorted, trying to make my assumption logical. “Every year before you’ve done something, and today you didn’t.”

“That’s because I have something bigger planned for tonight. I’ll make it up to you,” he said seductively. I felt my face heat up at the response.

“Is that a promise?” I asked, biting my lip and staring into his gorgeous dark eyes.

“It’s a guarantee,” he replied with a smirk before pulling back and standing up. Without another word, he made his way into the bedroom, leaving me on the couch alone. Groaning, I stood up and followed him.

When I entered the large room, he was nowhere to be found. Noticing the door to the walk-in closet was open, I went in there instead. Cain was standing in front of his dresser in nothing but his boxers. Grinning to myself, I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Placing a kiss to the side of his neck, I slowly slid my hands down his abdomen to the waistband of his underwear. Before I could reach under the fabric, however, he grabbed my hands and turned around.

“What’re you doin’, Princess?” he asked, smiling down at me.

“I had a shitty day at work, it’s my birthday, and I just want you to fuck me senseless,” I said bluntly, earning a laugh from him.

Before any more words could be exchanged, I hungrily pulled his face down to mine, and pressed our lips together. Sliding my tongue against Cain’s, I moaned into the kiss to show him just how much I wanted him.

Feeling Cain’s hands graze up my torso, I first thought that he was going to start taking my clothes off, but instead he gently pushed me away, breaking the contact between our mouths.

“Whoa, hold it there, Princess,” Cain said with a smirk. Caressing my face, he looked down at me longingly. “At least let me take you to dinner first.”

Putting on a pouty face, I reluctantly nodded in response. With one last peck on the lips, Cain turned around again and began rummaging through our large walk-in closet. Watching him, I noticed he had picked out one of his better suits.

“Wait, just where the hell are you planning to take me to dinner?” I said in curiosity, earning a chuckle from Cain. He replied as he pulled on his dress pants.

“Well...let’s just say that I had to call several weeks in advance to reserve us a table.”

 

* * *

 

Upon reaching the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was right on the Potomac River, and that the restaurant was actually on the water.

“It floats?” I asked with awe. Grinning, Cain nodded, and took my hand.

“It better float, for how expensive it’s gonna be,” he commented with a chuckle.

After tightening my grip on his hand and leaning into him, Cain and I made our way into the dimly-lit restaurant, and were led to a small two-person table overlooking the water.

After getting settled and ordering a bottle of wine, I gazed fondly at Cain as he scanned his menu, watching the candlelight dance across his face. Sliding a foot forward underneath the table, I grazed his leg with my own, causing him to look up at me in slight surprise before giving me a seductive smirk.

“Something you need, Princess?” he said in a low voice. Smiling, I shook my head.

“Not really, just you,” I replied simply.

“Y’know, if you keep saying things like that, we might have to just skip dessert so we can get back home sooner…” Cain muttered, slipping a hand underneath the table to slide it up my thigh.

“That’s okay, _you_ can be my dessert,” I whispered so that none of the other patrons could hear. After the words left my mouth, though, I may or may not have caught a glimpse of a blush on Cain’s face in the sparsely-lit room. Smiling, I changed the subject.

“You know what this place reminds me of?” I asked Cain with a smile. He raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity.

“What?” he asked.

“It vaguely brings back the memory of that time when you and I had coffee together after one of our first tutoring sessions, remember?” Cain stifled a laugh.

“You mean that time you ate a banana seductively?” he teased. My face heated up at the comment.

“Says the one who got turned on by it,” I retorted defensively, earning another chuckle from Cain.

“If it makes any difference, most of what you do turns me on,” he said with a wink.

“Don’t boost my ego too much, there’s barely enough room in the apartment for yours alone,” I joked. Cain dramatically placed a hand to his chest.

“Ouch, that hurt! I thought what we had was special,” he feigned, causing me to giggle.

It was true, what we had _was_ special. After the ordeal with my father, Cain and I had both come to the realization that neither of us were willing to give the other up. Once Cain had gotten his financial issue figured out with his parents, there was really nothing my father could do to keep him out of Sleipnir University. He had tried to cut off my free tuition, however, but the request was so ridiculous that the university denied it, obviously wondering why a staff member wouldn’t want their child to have free schooling. After that, everything seemed to fall into place. Cain and I lived together for the rest of our years at Sleipnir, and then made sure we could live together once we went out into the work field. Thankfully, that part was easy, considering we had similar majors and were able to agree on a place to call home.

Just as I was about to reply to Cain, though, our waiter approached the table.

“Pardon the interruption,” he said in a friendly voice, “but the rest of your party has arrived. Would you like to join them now?” Raising an eyebrow, I glanced over to Cain in confusion. He smirked at me before responding to the server.

“Yes, thank you very much,” he said politely. With a smile, the waiter quickly bowed his head and went back to work.

Standing up, Cain offered his hand to me.

“You coming or not, Princess?” he said, grinning. Giving a heavy sigh, I took his hand, stood up, and grabbed my blazer.

Not even bothering to ask what was going on anymore, I simply followed Cain over to a more secluded part of the restaurant. Once we rounded a corner, though, and I caught sight of an extremely familiar face, my heart skipped a beat.

"Ethos!" I exclaimed, speeding up to meet him in a tight embrace. Laughing, he patted my back.

“Long time no see, huh?” he replied happily before pulling away. I nodded fervently.

“Yeah. To be honest, I thought you had completely forgotten about my birthday,” I admitted, a tinge of sadness in my voice. Ethos cracked a grin at me.

“How could I? What with Cain calling me every other day to make sure our plans for tonight were set in stone,” he replied, looking over my shoulder to Cain. I, too, couldn’t help but turn to face him as well. I was so happy, I was practically floating. Gazing into his eyes, I entwined my fingers with his, and mouthed the words ‘thank you’.

“Shall we go sit at the table?” Praxis said, causing our attentions to turn to him.

“Yeah, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving!” exclaimed another familiar voice. Turning, I saw that Keeler and Encke were there too. Because of the excitement of seeing Ethos, I hadn’t even noticed them. Not to mention they were also half-hidden by Praxis’ tall frame.

After several more greetings were said, our group finally made it to sitting down at the table, and spent upwards of two hours enjoying our meal and making up for lost time with each other. The conversations over dinner drifted from various work related stories to the topic of families.

"How's your mom doing, Abel?" Keeler asked from across the table. I sighed slightly.

"She's doing good, considering," I responded, pushing a bite of chocolate cake around my plate.

After my father tried cutting off my free tuition out of spite, my mother confronted him about it, and on top of that, she also brought up all the other things that he had done over the past two decades. After several weeks of thick tension in the house, my mother realized just how much my father had changed since they had first gotten married. Sure, she had noticed as I was growing up that he was growing to be rotten, but she had never done anything about it simply for my well-being. After I graduated from college, however, she had come to the decision that there was no changing my father back, and promptly divorced him.

“Nowadays, she is living by herself,” I explained to Ethos, “but she still works at the same hospital. Because of her high pay grade, she still has a nice house and no financial trouble, and even was able to afford hiring Elena, who also left my father’s service after the divorce. They are best friends, and spend practically all their time together.” Ethos gave me a wide smile.

“It’s good that you and your mom finally were able to go out and live freely,” he commented, taking a forkful of cake  into his mouth.

“That’s great news,” Praxis added, the side of mouth curling into a half-smile. After a short pause, he turned to Ethos, and lowered the volume of his voice a little. “Speaking of good news, should we…” Although Praxis trailed off, it appeared by Ethos’ brightened expression that he knew exactly what Praxis was referring to.

“Yes! Do you wanna tell ‘em together?” he asked Praxis excitedly. After giving a terse nod, Praxis and Ethos turned their gazes back to the rest of us.

“What? What is it?” I asked, my curiosity overflowing. Grinning, Ethos and Praxis blurted out the same thing together.

“We’re going to adopt!” they announced in unison.

Everyone at the table froze for a millisecond, but then erupted in shouts of congratulations and questions about the adoption.

“You are?!” Keeler exclaimed, a wide smile across his face. “If you need any help, you can call either Encke or me any time!”

Funny enough, Keeler and Encke had also been going through the adoption process for the past few months. The paperwork was long and tedious, however, and it would be awhile before they would actually be able to take a child home, but there was no doubt it would eventually happen.

As Keeler and Ethos babbled on about adoption with one another, I felt a hand placed on my thigh. Turning, I saw Cain was leaning in close to me.

“Abel,” Cain whispered into my ear as he grazed his hand up my leg.

“What?” I asked, ignoring the various conversations that were going on at the table. He didn’t respond, but instead turned my face and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. Just as I had fluttered my eyes closed, he pulled back.

“We should go home so I can give you the rest of your present,” he said, voice low. I instantly felt a blush rise to my cheeks and turned back to the table.

“I hate to ditch my own party,” I started, getting everyone’s attention, “but I should be getting home so I can have an excuse to not go to work in the morning.”

“That’s okay, Abel,” Ethos replied, stifling his giggles at my previous comment. “Praxis and I were planning on leaving pretty soon, anyways.”

After we all exchanged goodbyes, I followed Cain outside, where he hailed a cab to take us home. As I slid into the back seat with him, I was nothing but smiles.

It had been so great, seeing everyone after so long. I wasn’t exactly sure if I was ecstatic about the whole ‘surprise’ part of it, considering I had previously thought that my birthday was completely forgotten, but, as I stared out the cab window at the streetlights that zoomed past, I was undoubtedly happy that everything had turned out alright in the end.

Suddenly, though, I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt the rough texture of Cain’s hand on my neck. Before I even had the chance to turn and ask what he was doing, I felt the wetness of his lips as he kissed my jawline.

“Cain… we should wait until we get back,” I whispered to him quietly, so that the cab driver couldn’t hear. He gave a low chuckle, his hot breath causing goosebumps to form on the back of my neck.

“You really think I have the patience for that?” he retorted playfully as he slid his hand over my own, entwining our fingers. “I told you earlier that I have something big planned for tonight, didn’t I? I’m just so eager to give it to you…” At the mention of this, along with the combined seduction in his voice, I was beginning to feel aroused, despite not really wanting to be while we were in a car with a total stranger. Taking in a shallow breath, I tried to make as little noise as possible as Cain continued on, trailing his free hand down to untuck my dress shirt and caress my bared stomach.

As Cain began to place his kisses farther up my jaw and towards my mouth, I was starting to lose control. Sure, I was still slightly embarrassed, but that was beginning to be overshadowed by lust, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back any longer.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to press my lips against Cain’s, I felt the cab come to a jolting stop.

“Alright, here we are!” the taxi driver announced from the front seat. “I hope this is the correct address?” Quickly pulling away from Cain, I looked out the window and up at the towering building before us. And sure enough, it was our condominium.

“Uh, yes, thank you!” I replied to the driver. Quickly making myself look remotely presentable, I opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement. Scowling, Cain followed behind me.

After paying for our cab fare, Cain grumpily stuffed his wallet back into his inside pocket, and I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him and his sudden change in mood.

“What’s with you?” I asked. He sighed and shook his head, reaching out his fingers to entwine with mine as we walked into the brightly-lit lobby.

“Nothing, it’s just that the damn cab driver couldn’t have picked a better time to interrupt us…” he grumbled. Chuckling, I tightened my hand around his.

“He was just doing his job, Cain. And besides…” I trailed off, stopping us directly in front of the elevator. Caressing Cain’s face, I leaned up and gave him a slow and seductive kiss. Dumbstruck, he stared at me for a few moments before remembering he actually had to press the button to call the elevator. It seemed like ages for the elevator doors to open.

“Oh, fuck, what was the goddamn code again…” Cain mumbled to himself after we stepped into the lift. I couldn’t help but smile, still ever-proud of myself that I could make him so flustered every once in awhile.

“Here,” I said, leaning down and pressing the numbers myself. As soon as the doors slid closed, it was like my world had suddenly gone into fast-forward. Pressing our mouths together, Cain pushed me into the small space and against the far wall. Once the elevator started its ascent up to the penthouse, Cain wasted no time in running his hands over every part of my body that he could reach. Refusing to break the contact between our mouths, he took hold of both my legs, hoisted me up so that he could fit himself between them, and rubbed our groins up against each other.

It was at this point I was glad that we were finally alone, so we could simply just take in one another. Sure, the surprise dinner with Ethos and Praxis and everyone else was wonderful, and it was true I had wanted a special celebration for my birthday, but what truly mattered to me the most was being with Cain at the end of the day. Upon first meeting him at college, he had come off as so untamed and unpredictable. Now, he was my stability. He and I had become so close that we were practically a part of each other. Wherever one of us was lacking something, the other filled it in so perfectly. Cain had been the only man I ever had opened myself up to, and I was so eternally grateful that it had been him.

Parting his mouth from mine, Cain began to trail kisses down my jaw and to my neck, while still causing friction where he pressed himself between my legs. As he licked and kissed at my collarbone, I just happened to see that we were already on our floor, with the elevator doors opening to our living room. Laughing, I patted Cain’s back to signal that we had arrived. Smiling, he let me down so my feet could touch the ground, but still refused to let go of my waist.

After we were finally out of the elevator, I enthusiastically leaned up to continue where we had left off, but was stopped when I felt Cain’s hands placed on my chest, keeping me from kissing him.

“Wait,” he said, his tone of voice suddenly becoming serious. Concerned, I looked up at him in confusion.

“What is it?” I asked, worry ever present in my voice as I brought my hands up to hold his. He looked down at me with a solemn expression.

“I still have to give you your present,” he said, giving a small smile to assure me that all was okay.

“But I thought your gift was going to be…” I trailed off, knowing that he knew what I meant. He gave a low chuckle.

“There’s more,” he said, grasping my hands and leaning in so that our noses were touching. I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Cain, you really don’t have to,” I replied, lifting one hand up to caress his face. “I know I was upset earlier today when I thought you hadn’t done anything, but believe me, the dinner was more than en--”

“No, it’s not enough,” Cain interrupted. “Not for you.” I looked at him in silence, surprised at how he was acting. However, he seemed to take my silence as permission to continue, and after a brief moment he spoke up again.

“Abel, I’m so glad that I’m here with you,” he said simply, tightening his grip on my hand. “If I hadn’t met you back when we were in college, I don’t really know where I would be today. Hell, I don’t even know if I would be happy at all. Most importantly, after having met you, I don’t think I could stand living in a world without you in it.” I could feel my heart speeding up with every word he spoke. “You gave me stability. You made me realize what I actually wanted to do in life, and you even helped me accomplish some things that I probably wouldn’t have been able to do by myself.

“When I first met you, I thought you were some hopeless bookworm who probably had shaky morals and would most likely annoy me to no end. Although I might’ve been partially right, you are also so much more to me. You are intelligent, resourceful, optimistic, sweet, funny, and not to mention you have the cutest ass to grace this earth-- oh, and you’re incredible in the sack-- but anyways, the point that I’m trying to make is that no matter what flaws you may think you have, I think you’re absolutely perfect.” I felt a grip in my chest at that last part. He really thought I was perfect? I didn’t think I would ever hear him say something like that to me. At least, not in words.

“Cain, I think you’re--”

“Wait, I’m not finished,” he stopped me again. This time I bit my lip, figuring I should probably just shut up and let him finish. Once he was done I could tell him how I felt.

“Abel, for the majority of my life I thought for sure that I would never say this to anyone, but now I know that I was wrong. You changed me, you changed the way I look at the world… and you changed my mind about love,” I gave a small gasp, but made sure to let him continue. “Abel…” Cain muttered so quietly that if we weren’t inches away from each other, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it, “...I love you.” I could feel my eyes beginning to well up with tears, and my heart felt like it was about to burst. He had only said those three words a select few times over the years. This time makes seven. I knew he did, but every time he actually said that he loved me, I instantly soared up to cloud nine.

I had to tell him that I loved him too, that I felt the exact same way that he did. I wanted him to know how much I appreciated him building up the courage to tell me that he loved me, despite it having been such a touchy subject for him when we were younger. Fuck, even if he already knew how I felt, I just wanted to tell him just for the hell of it.

I was just about to open my mouth to speak, when he pulled out a tiny little box from his pocket.

“Wha…” I sputtered, taking a step back as Cain got down on one knee.

“Abel…” he said, his voice becoming rough as he attempted to get the words out, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my everything. You are my world. You are the sun and stars. You are my universe. So, please… Will you…” he paused to take a shaky breath. “Will you marry me?”

I could feel my vision blurring as tears started coming down my face. My legs felt like they were going to give out at any time. When Cain opened the small velvet box to reveal an incredible silver ring, with one pearly, iridescent moon rock set into the metal, I fell to my knees, unable to stay standing.

“Cain…” I managed to utter, “I-I can’t…”

“You can’t what?” he responded, a mixture of worry and fear suddenly present in his voice. Grabbing one of his shoulders with my hand, I tried to get the words out.

“I can’t… believe you waited this long to ask me!” I said, pulling him close to me so that I had something to hold on to.

“So… can I take that as a yes?” he replied, wrapping his arms around me. Sobbing into his shoulder, all I could do was nod my head in confirmation.

After a few moments, once I had regained some of my composure, Cain pulled back, took the ring out of its box, and shakily slid it onto my left ring finger. With tears still running down my face, all I could really do was stare at it and grasp Cain’s hand, unable to contain my emotions.

“You… fucking asshole…” I muttered, turning to look up at him. Laughing, he wiped some of my tears away and pressed our lips together. Leaning into the kiss, I felt my overflowing feelings of happiness quickly turn into lust when I thought about just how much I wanted Cain now. He had built up the courage to finally ask me to marry him, and there was no way I would ever be able to repay him for it. But… I could certainly let him fuck me until the sun rose.

Sliding my hands down his torso, I helped him out of his blazer and began tugging at the buttons of his dress shirt. As I did this, I pulled my mouth away from his, leaned into his ear, and whispered quietly to him, “I want you to fuck me so hard that I won’t be able to go to work tomorrow.”

That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. Growling in need, Cain hungrily drew my mouth back to his, and practically attacked my clothing, pulling it off as quickly as he could without completely ruining it. It seemed like before I could even blink, I was completely naked, straddling him on the living room floor, with our bare chests pressed up against one another.

Panting heavily, I looked down at Cain as he gazed at my body with lustful eyes, and couldn’t help but smile. I remembered the first time he had seen me naked, and how I was so nervous about it. Now, though, it appeared to be completely the opposite. While I was so unbelievably comfortable with being bare in front of him, just the sight of me like this seemed to make Cain so flustered that he could barely stand it. To put him at ease, I leaned down and delicately pressed my lips to his, silently urging him to continue. Giving me one of his drop-dead-gorgeous smirks, he suddenly lifted me up with ease, and, while placing countless kisses around my collarbone and down my chest, brought me into the bedroom.

The room was almost completely dark; an orange glow from the city lights below casting long shadows on the walls. In all honesty, it reminded me of that night in Düsseldorf with Erik, when I had realized just how much I missed Cain when we were apart.

But now, it was all different. Instead of making out with some German guy that I barely knew, I was with Cain; the love of my life, the only person I could ever picture myself being with. And not only that, but now we were going to get married. Never did I imagine that Cain would actually want to be married, since he certainly didn’t seem like the type to enjoy being tied down. Hell, I was just relieved that he and I had managed being monogamous and living together for so long. But, when I realized that he had pushed away his former mentality on marriage just to be with me and make me happy, I could hardly control my joy.

Stepping to the foot of our bed, Cain tossed me down onto it, and proceeded to take of his slacks and boxers, all the while refusing to break eye contact with me. Even in the dimly-lit room, I could see just how intense he looked. There was no denying that the past several years had changed him. He wasn’t some college kid looking for a hook-up at some frat party. He wanted a forever. And, more importantly, he wanted that forever to be with _me._ I felt some tears of happiness begin to well up in my eyes again, but I quickly wiped them away, not wanting to ruin the mood.

Hearing a _clink_ , I gazed back at Cain, and saw that whatever clothing he had had before was now on the floor, leaving his incredible body for me to look at in the yellowish-orange light. Not saying a word, he began to crawl onto the bed, sliding his hands up my bare legs as he did so. But, before he could do anything else, I ran a hand through his dark hair, and spoke up.

“Cain…?” I muttered in a quiet tone.

“What is it, Princess?” he responded, lifting my left leg up and kissing the inside of my thigh.

“I want to go to the window,” I replied bluntly. Smirking, he leaned down and placed a single kiss on my lips.

“You want to what now?” he retorted, obviously mocking me. I knew he wanted me to be more specific. To give him every single, minute detail. Giving a mischievous smile, I looked him directly in the eyes.

“I want you to take me to the window, and fuck me up against it so that the entire city can see us,” I whispered as I trailed my hand down to pump our growing erections together.

“Mmh…” he moaned, closing his eyes as pleasure ran through him. Whether his reaction was from me talking dirty or my hand around his cock, though, I wasn’t sure. Probably both.

“Alright, cupcake, since you asked so nicely, I guess I can do that,” he replied, smirking down at me. Releasing my grip on our erections, I was suddenly lifted up by Cain again, and before I knew anything else, my back was pushed up against the cool glass of the window.

“Ahh…” I emitted quietly. The glass was fairly cold, and although the sudden change in temperature against my hot skin surprised me a little, there was no doubt that it felt good. Giving a low growl in desire, Cain slid one of his legs between mine and hungrily pressed our mouths together obviously eager to go further.

He was becoming a little rougher and more dominating now, and I liked it. After all, I wanted to give him any part of me that he wanted, since he more than deserved it. I looked down and watched with half-lidded eyes as Cain left marks all around my neck and chest. And, when he finally brought one of his rough hands down to stroke both of us, I realized that I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Cain,” I sighed, running my hands up his muscled arms.

“Mmm?” he responded simply, obviously preoccupied with licking and kissing at my nipples.

“Just fucking take me already…” I pleaded. I could practically feel his smile against my skin.

“You’re sure eager tonight, aren’t you?” he replied in a low tone.

 _Obviously, you asshole, since you had to go and fucking propose to me,_ I thought to myself.

“Please, Cain… However you want to do it, just fuck me…” I begged. This seemed to take Cain by surprise, especially when I said he could do it anyway he wanted. But, after a brief moment, his expression changed back to its previous intensity, and I knew that he understood how I was feeling.

“Okay, if that’s what you want,” he said aptly before smashing our mouths together and roughly pushing me against the window harder, so that, even if I wanted to-- which certainly wasn’t the case-- I wouldn’t have been able to escape.

“Mmph--” I moaned happily in surprise when I felt his warm tongue entangling with my own. Eagerly, I brought my arms up to wrap around the back of Cain’s neck, both to steady myself and to allow him access to my entire body, which he certainly wasted no time in taking advantage of.

I felt Cain’s calloused hands trace down my stomach and hips, and around to my ass. Feeling him grab me there, I lifted one of my legs up to hook around him, but before I could do so, he suddenly pulled back from me, causing me to become off-balance. He moved quickly, though, and made sure I didn’t fall. In exchange, I was suddenly spun around, with my face suddenly facing the glass, allowing me to look out at the entire city.

“Wha--” I spoke in a startled tone.

“You said I could do it however I wanted, so no complaints tonight, Princess,” Cain said in a commanding tone. And, before I could even respond, I felt a cool liquid being poured onto my lower back.

“Aahh…” I moaned lightly in surprise. The lube was cold, and it caused me to tense up a little, but when I felt Cain’s wet fingers beginning to massage at my entrance, I was able to relax myself enough for him to slide two of them in. “Oh, fuck… mmm…” I swore contently as I felt twinges of heat run up my spine and through my hips.

Over the years, it was obvious that Cain and I had become more accustomed to having sex with each other. Our bodies seemed to just connect-- to fit perfectly against one another. We knew what each of us liked, and we knew what we didn’t. And, we had even become so experienced, that penetration hardly ever hurt anymore for me.

Which was why, in compliance with my need for him to fuck me senseless, Cain was able to enter me in just mere moments, without me even noticing that he had taken his fingers out. I certainly did notice when he replaced them with something much bigger, though, and immediately felt the delightful pressure in my hips increase.

“Oh my god, Cain…” I moaned, pressing my hands and head against the glass as he slid his entire length inside me.

“Ahh…” I could hear him sigh in absolute contentment.

After a moment or two passed, I was more than ready for Cain to start moving. But before I could even say anything, he started moving on his own. In all honesty, it took me by surprise, but this feeling was quickly diminished when I felt pleasure pooling in my nether regions.

By now, I was fully erect, and I was about to bring a hand down to stroke myself while Cain continued thrusting, but was suddenly stopped when one of his deliciously rough hands got there before mine did.

“Ahh…! Oh, fuck…” I moaned, writhing in pleasure at the feeling of Cain both stroking my dick and fucking me at the same time.

Within mere minutes, I was totally lost. All I could do to stop my legs from giving out was to keep myself pressed against the window, where my hot breath and the heat from my skin was causing the glass to fog up. As Cain expertly kept hitting my prostate again and again, I was a complete mess of moans, gasps, swearing, and utterances of Cain’s name over and over.

This was all I needed. To just be here, together with Cain. It didn’t matter where we were, as long as we were together. Those few months apart, back when we were still in college, were absolutely terrible, and they made me realize that Cain could never, ever be replaced. He was my missing piece, and without him, I could never be completely whole.

I loved him, more than anything else in the entire universe.

“Ahh! Cain-- Cain… I think I’m gonna…” I moaned, trying to hold back my release until he was ready.

“Go ahead, Abel… come for me,” he sighed in response, refusing to cease his thrusting and his strokes on my dick, which by now was completely drenched in pre-cum.

“But, the window…” I muttered, even though it was probably a pointless attempt to keep anything clean at a time like this.

“Forget the-- ah, fucking window…” Cain managed to say. Without even slowing his thrusts, he leaned over me, so that his chest rested on my back, and kissed and licked at the back of my neck. In a hushed whisper, he spoke into my ear, “...Just think of me. Think of us.”

I was. I was thinking of how much I adored him, how grateful I was to have met him, how much I loved him.

And how much he loved me in return.

“Oh-- Oh god, Cain…!” I moaned even louder, grabbing his arm with one of my hands as my muscles tingled and white-hot pleasure washed over me. Clinging onto Cain, I rode out my climax, all the while gasping and screaming his name over and over again, because I knew that it would never stop having meaning to me.

When I finally came back down to earth, the first thing I noticed was just how much of a mess we were now. Sweaty and panting, I mustered up enough strength to turn and face Cain again. Attempting to catch his own breath, Cain wrapped his arms around my waist and led me back to the bed, where we both laid next to each other, refusing to let go of one another. After several minutes of comfortable silence passed, and I finally was able to breathe normally, I spoke up.

“Cain?” I said, staring up at the ceiling.

“Hmm?”

“You’re certain you want to go through with getting married… right?” I asked quietly. I knew it was a touchy subject, and I didn’t want to offend Cain, or worse, make him think that I didn’t trust him.

“Abel…” Cain muttered, turning onto his side to look at me. His gaze softened considerably as he softly ran his fingertips up my arm to my cheek. My eyes fluttered shut as he caressed my cheek with his thumb. I was amazed at how his touch could go from lustful and rough to gentle and heartwarming in such little time. “There’s nothing I want more than to make you mine… forever.”

“Really?” I asked, opening my eyes to meet his soft gaze. He smiled and nodded slightly.

“To be honest, I’ve been a nervous wreck for the past month and a half. I was terrified to ask you…” he dropped his gaze and trailed off. I leaned toward him and placed a brief, chaste kiss on his cheek.

“Why?” I asked quietly.

“I thought you would say no.” My eyes widened slightly and I looked at him in disbelief.

“After everything we’ve gone through and done together… you thought I would say _no_?” I laughed and rolled over onto my back. Resting my hands on my abdomen, I tried unsuccessfully to calm my giggles. Eventually, my laughter subsided and I opened my eyes to find Cain glowering down at me.

“It’s not funny,” he said bluntly.

“It kind of is. I mean, marriage has been on my mind since we moved in together _four years ago_. So the fact that you thought I would actually _decline_ your proposal after all this time is kind of amusing to me.”

“I guess so,” he said with in a soft tone. Shrugging, he continued, “But the thought of rejection is always there in the back of every man’s mind when he goes to pick out a ring, or finally kneels down and asks. It’s terrifying, Abel.”

I smiled and leaned up to press my lips against his. It wasn’t often that he admitted his fears, but when he did, I knew that they were real and it was my job to make them go away. After all, there was no doubt in my mind that he would do the same for me. Pulling back, I smiled at him.

“But I said yes, so it doesn’t matter anymore, right?” Cain gave a small chuckle.

“I guess, but I wouldn’t say that it doesn’t _matter_ anymore.” I raised an eyebrow in questioning.

“Yeah?” was all I said to urge him on.

“Because… Abel, you’ll always matter to me,” Cain said in almost a whisper as he leaned in and kissed me one more time. “Now, since I finally managed to build up the courage and ask you to marry me, I’m fucking beat. Not to mention the sex wore me out, too.” I laughed softly at the last comment.

Without even bothering to put any clothes back on, Cain and I pulled the covers over our bodies, and happily snuggled into the mattress together. As I lay there pressed up against Cain, however, I couldn’t help but smile like an idiot. He had taken the jump and brought our relationship to a new level, and intended on making me his husband and being with me for the rest of his life. Sure, when we moved in together it was kind of an unspoken agreement that we would stay together for as long as we pleased, but now, the oath was set in stone, and I was indescribably proud of Cain for making it so. I was definitely looking forward to spending forever with him.

And for us, forever just so happened to start on a Tuesday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who has read this! Both Einfachniemand and I know that it's been a VERY long time since we've updated, but we were away from each other this summer, and it was hard to share ideas and motivation. But now, we're back, and extremely excited to finish Teacher's Pet! As you already know, this is the epilogue of the story, but there will also be a bonus chapter as well, which we have already begun working on. After that, though, we will mark this as being officially completed. Again, thank you all <3


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